One Hundred Eighty Three Hours
by myeveryday
Summary: Haley James wanted nothing more than to leave her small town. Nathan Scott returned to serve and protect. One summer night, Haley finds herself teetering on the edge, and it's Nathan that pulls her back. And he'll do anything to save her.
1. One Hundred Sixty Eight Hours

**Author's Note: This is just a new story idea that I had. It's based off of the novel **_**Going too Far**_** by Jennifer Echols. It's a wonderful book, and I definitely recommend it. I hope that you all enjoy this! Happy holidays!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**One Tree Hill**_** or **_**Going too Far**_**, by Jennifer Echols.**

* * *

"Haley, get back here right now! Don't be an idiot!"

Haley James ignored her best friend and continued down the bridge, stepping over the railroad ties as she went. The concrete was still warm against her bare feet, despite it being two o'clock in the morning. She finally reached the middle of the bridge, standing with her hands at her sides, her fingers spread apart as if she were trying to catch the wind.

At the mouth of the bridge, Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott stood with panicked looks on their faces. They watched Haley for a moment longer, wondering what in the hell they should do, before Brooke jumped into action.

"Aw, shit, Luke," she said as she slid her sandals off her feet. She stepped onto the bridge, lightly and quickly making her way towards her friend.

"Brooke, _are you crazy_?" Lucas yelled after her. Brooke ignored her boyfriend as well, and Lucas cursed loudly as he dug his hand into his pocket, searching for his phone. He flipped it open and stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the number nine.

Brooke carefully inched her way towards Haley, her hand extended, palm facing up towards the sky. "Come on, Hales," she said. "Let's go back."

Haley didn't look at Brooke. "It's beautiful... just like she said it would be," Haley whispered.

It was true. The sky was inky black against the bright stars, and the moon shone, hanging low in the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and, under the bridge, the water twinkled as it swirled lazily past.

"Yes, it is," Brooke agreed. "But we need to go back. Now." The brunette flexed her fingers, trying to draw Haley's attention to her. "Take my hand, Hales."

"Do you hear that?" Lucas yelled from his spot, safely away from the bridge. "Listen!"

Brooke stopped trying to coax Haley towards her for a moment and listened hard. She heard a low humming, and she whipped her head towards Lucas. She couldn't find his eyes in the darkness, but she could just imagine the look of stark-white fear on his face.

Brooke's heart started thumping in her ears. "Haley, we have to go. Now."

She didn't wait for Haley to respond. She grabbed onto her hand and began to tow her off the railroad bridge.

But Haley struggled against her. "Brooke, let me go!" Haley exclaimed. "Let me just—"

The wail of a siren cut the blonde off. Everyone froze for just a moment as two cop cars, red and blue lights flashing, came careering into the clearing at the mouth of the bridge.

"Move off of the bridge, toward my voice," a strong voice commanded.

Brooke tightened her grip on Haley's hand and proceeded to tow her off of the bridge. Haley had thankfully stopped protesting at the sight of the police cruisers, and she remained silent as they reached solid ground.

Lucas crossed his arms and gave one of the officers a pointed look. "I don't have to call a lawyer, do I?"

"No," the older officer, Andy Hargrove, answered. "You don't."

"Do they?"

Andy shook his head again. "We're not arresting you."

The younger cop, however, did not keep his cool like the other cop. He rounded on Lucas, tense and shaking in the bright headlights from their cars.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he screamed at Lucas.

Andy, who was busying himself with a clipboard, looked up at the young cop. "Officer Scott," he said harshly.

Officer Nathan Scott stopped yelling abruptly, breathing heavily as his fists clenched. He glared at his twin brother, his face hard with anger.

"What's going to happen to us?" Brooke asked. She tightened her grip on Haley's hand. She knew that Andy had said they weren't going to be arrested, yet here they were, standing in front of two police cruisers.

"Community service," Andy called from the hood of his car.

Nathan shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Do you realize what could have happened?" he finally said.

Haley seemed to have snapped out of her trance. "Nothing," she said.

Nathan raised an eyebrow and pointed towards the bridge. "I wouldn't call that nothing."

They all turned just as the low hum turned into an almost unbearable screeching. A train tore past them all on the tracks, making the ground around them shake.

Haley's chest tightened. She gripped Brooke's hand more tightly as she swayed slightly.

Oh. Shit.

"Yeah," Nathan said, seeming to recognize the look on her face. "That almost happened."

* * *

Thirteen years ago, two kids died on the bridge.

The story was that a girl had gotten her shoe stuck in the railroad ties. Her boyfriend had gone back to get her, and they had both been hit by the train.

Haley found herself thinking this as they waited at the police station at four o'clock in the morning. They were currently waiting to hear what the verdict on their community service was. The three of them almost couldn't believe that they hadn't been arrested. They had broken a major city ordinance.

Just then, Andy came back out, followed by a surly Nathan. Andy tapped the clipboard in his hand and gave each of the young adults a stern look.

"Alright, I'm going to be straight with you," he said. "We're going to make an example out of you. You three are kids just graduated from college; you should know better than this. So we're going to make this simple. We're assigning each of you to a fire truck, an ambulance, and a police patrol for a week. At the end of the week, you're going to present a project to the DA, and the project will be used to discourage other kids from going on to the bridge. If you comply, there will be no mark on your records. Do you three get me?"

Haley, Brooke, and Lucas nodded their heads. Officer Andy Hargrove had a way of making them feel like they were ten years old again, despite the fact that they had all just graduated from college.

"Good. Scott, you're with the fire truck. Davis, you're the ambulance. And James, you're with the police patrol. In fact…" Andy flipped through a few pages on his clipboard before he nodded his head. "I think that I'm going to put you with Officer Scott."

Haley looked over at Nathan. He stood half in the shadows, leaning against the far wall. Even with his face shrouded in the shadows, his cobalt eyes shone brightly towards her. And those cobalt eyes were hard and cold.

Haley looked back towards her friends. Even after everything they had been through, they were still looking at her with concerned looks on her faces. She looked away from them again and stood up.

"Can we go home now?" she asked, looking at the floor.

Andy nodded his head. A concerned look of his own briefly crossed his face before he cleared his throat. "You report for your first shift tomorrow."

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter!**


	2. One Hundred Forty Four Hours

**Author's Note: Thank you for the great response to the first chapter! I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. I hope that you all like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

Brooke slammed the car door behind her and darted in front of her boyfriend, causing him to stop in his tracks. He gave her a tired look and crossed his arms, waiting for the explosion that he knew would come.

"Did you really call your brother, Luke?" Brooke demanded. "Are you kidding me? He was about to arrest us! If it weren't for Officer Hargrove—"

"Of course I didn't call him, Brooke!" Lucas exclaimed. "But I'm not going to lie to you: I thought about it. Hell yes, I thought about it. But I didn't." He sighed and shook his head. "You know that he haunts that place during his shift. You knew that he could have shown up at any time."

Brooke gritted her teeth, glared at her boyfriend, and turned on her heel. She slammed the door of the two-bedroom apart behind her, and Lucas rolled his eyes.

"She does realize that we live there too, doesn't she?" he said to Haley as she came to stand next to him.

She simply looked up at him, not speaking, and he looked back down at her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, giving her a comforting squeeze as they made their way into the apartment.

"I didn't call him. You know that, right?"

Haley nodded her head. "Of course," she said. Then, with a small smile, she went into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Lucas sighed again and looked back and forth between the two shut doors.

"Guess it's the couch for me tonight."

* * *

Haley dragged a hand through her hair as she wandered over to the ambulance parked on the side of the road. Brooke sat against the bumper, resolutely looking away from the car accident they were currently attending to.

Haley stopped just short of the ambulance and crossed her arms. Brooke, seeing this, stood up and led Haley away from the ambulance and towards the police car, where they both leaned against the bumper. Haley let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"So," Haley said before Brooke could ask if she was alright. "Have you and Lucas made up yet?"

"Yeah," Brooke said. "Although I'm still pissed at that brother of his."

Haley glared over at the tall, dark officer. He was talking to a paramedic, and the permanent scowl he had worn ever since Haley had gotten into his police cruiser never left his face. Brooke let out a little snort.

"He looks like a barrel full of fun."

"Oh, believe me. He is," Haley said. "I just love the angry silence. I can't wait to spend another four hours with him!"

"Hey, Luke," Brooke said. "Tell us more about your angry twin brother."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders, a sad look coming over his face. "I don't really know much about him."

Neither did Brooke, even though she had been going out with Lucas for just over a year. Haley didn't really know a lot about her best friend's twin brother, either. It wasn't something that Lucas had often talked about, and Haley had never pushed the subject.

"He moved away the year before I moved here," Haley said as Lucas was called back to the fire truck. It appeared that they were all finished with the accident. The firemen had quickly packed up and pulled away from the side of the road, and the paramedics were busy loading one of the passengers from the accident into the back of the ambulance.

"Did you ever ask about him?" Brooke asked.

"Once," Haley said. "Lucas never really opened up, and I never asked again."

Before Brooke could question Haley further, a paramedic stuck his head out of the driver's side of the ambulance.

"Come on, Davis!" he yelled. "We've got to get going!"

"Keep your pants on, Kowalski!" Brooke yelled as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. She waved to her friend. "I'll see you later, Hales."

"See you, Brookie," Haley said. "Lunch tomorrow?"

Brooke tapped at her non-existent watch. "Don't you mean later today?"

Haley sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Have fun with Officer Grumpy."

"Yeah, sure," Haley muttered as the ambulance pulled away. She turned on her heel and made her way over to Nathan's police cruiser.

The officer had just finished putting one of the drivers into the back of the car when Haley walked up to him. She landed a light punch to his arm as she leaned against the car.

"So, Officer," she said. "Are we ready to blow this popsicle stand?"

Nathan tapped the hood of the car and jerked his head. "Off," he said. "And don't touch me while I'm in uniform."

Haley rolled her eyes but got off the side of the car nonetheless. She folded her arms and looked through the window at the surly looking man in the back of the car.

"What happened?" Haley asked.

"DUI," Nathan answered. He pointed to the passenger side. "In."

Haley was quickly becoming fed up with Nathan's short commands. Even so, she got into the car. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to her that she shouldn't piss off the cop that almost arrested her.

The guy in the back of the car perked up as soon as Haley slid into her seat. He leaned forward, practically pressing his face into the cage separating the front seat from the back seat.

"Well, hello there," he slurred. Haley could smell the alcohol coming off of his breath. She shrank back in her seat and turned her face away from him.

Nathan took a clipboard out and began filling out a report. "Back off, Kinsey," he said. "I've had enough of you."

"Aw, come on, Officer Scott," Trent Kinsey said. "I'm just having some fun."

"I think you've had enough fun tonight," Nathan said. He glanced over at Haley, his blue eyes vivid beneath his dark brow before he looked back down at his clipboard.

Trent didn't heed Nathan's warning. He was practically leering at Haley as he said, "You know, you're really pretty."

Haley didn't say anything. She just crossed her arms tightly over her chest and stared straight ahead, her jaw locking tensely. She saw Nathan set aside his clipboard and start the car up, and she couldn't help the little sigh of relief that escaped her. They had a ten minute ride to the station, and she couldn't wait until they got there.

"You know," Trent was saying. "Maybe, little missy, once I get out of here we could hook up, you know."

Haley felt like she was going to throw up.

Nathan gripped the steering wheel tightly as he tried to calm his rapidly rising temper. Instead, he said, "Sit back, Kinsey, and shut up."

Trent Kinsey did sit back, but that didn't stop him from muttering completely obscene and inappropriate things under his breath the entire way to the station. Nathan's temper steadily climbed higher and Haley grew more and more nauseous.

Before the cruiser had even fully stopped, Haley was swinging open the door and scrambling out. She walked briskly away from the car and breathed deeply several times before she finally felt her heart rate return to normal.

"Haley?"

She jumped and turned to find Nathan standing behind her. She could have sworn that her blue eyes looked concerned for a moment, but it must have been a trick of the light. She took a step away from him.

"Aren't you missing something, Officer?" Haley asked after she had swallowed hard.

"I passed him over to another officer," Nathan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Then he shoved both hands into his trouser pockets, as if he weren't sure what to do with them. "I… uh… I'm sorry about that. With Kinsey."

She tried her hardest not to glare at him, even though she knew that it wasn't necessarily his fault.

Although, if he hadn't nearly arrested her, she wouldn't have been put in this position, and she never would have had to hear what Trent Kinsey had to say.

"That was disgusting," Haley stated. "That was disgusting and awful and…" Haley trailed off, unable to continue with describing just how disgusting she thought Trent Kinsey was.

"I'm sorry that you had to hear all of that," Nathan said. "This isn't his first time in here. He has a long list of minor offenses, but I we'll finally get him for DUI tonight."

"I'm glad," Haley said. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and turned away from Nathan. "What are we doing now, Officer?"

Nathan looked down at the watch strapped on his wrist. "We still have three and half hours on shift," he said. "I think we're going to take a trip to the bridge."

Haley narrowed her eyes at him. "The bridge? Really? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Nathan gave her a sharp look. "You mean, something better to do then stop stupid kids from getting hit by a train?"

That statement quieted Haley immediately. The memory of the train speeding through the place that she had been standing slammed into her, and she swallowed hard. She just nodded her head and climbed back into Nathan's police cruiser.

They drove to the bridge in silence. When they finally arrived, they both found that the area around the bridge was empty.

Nathan got out of the car without a word, and Haley followed suit. She followed him to the mouth of the bridge. She crossed her arms over her chest again and peered at the tall officer.

"What's with your obsession with this bridge?" Haley asked.

He didn't look at her as he stared down the bridge. They could hear the distant rumble of the next train coming, and he stepped away from the bridge, forcing Haley to step back as well.

He looked at her, his blue eyes piercing. "There's a lot of history here."

And that was all he said as he turned back to his car.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you for the amazing response for the first chapter! I hope that this one didn't disappoint. Thank you for reading!**


	3. One Hundred Thirty Two Hours

**Author's Note: As always, thank you for the amazing reviews! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

"You two look exhausted."

"Thanks, Karen," Brooke said sarcastically. "But trust me, we feel much worse then we look."

Haley made a noise of agreement in the back of her throat as she took a bite of her burger. She was too hungry to really say anything at that moment. Karen Scott gave her an affectionate smile as Brooke continued to complain.

"That nephew of yours has a real stick up his a—"

Haley swallowed just in time to interrupt her friend. "Brooke!"

"What?" Brooke picked up her fork. "It's true."

Karen's brow furrowed. "I thought you were dating my nephew," she said.

"Your other nephew," Brooke clarified. "The one that Haley got stuck with."

"I haven't see Nathan in years," Karen said. "I don't really know much about him."

"He's got a stick up his ass," Brooke stated bluntly.

"Tell us how you really feel, Brooke," Haley said. "Don't hold back."

"It's not like you like him, either!"

Karen, deciding that she needed to step in, quickly changed the subject. "How does Lucas feel now that Nathan is back in town?"

"Maybe you should ask him, Karen," Brooke said. "He's not about to tell any of us."

Karen and Keith Scott were Nathan and Lucas's aunt and uncle. They had moved to Tree Hill right around the time that the James family had, and Karen and Haley's mother had hit it off instantly. The two decided to open a café together; Karen cooked, while Lydia James handled the business side of things.

"Karen," Haley said. "Has my father been in at all?"

The older woman shook her head. "No. Not since…" She trailed off and shook her head again. "It's okay."

Haley sighed and stood up. "No, it's not."

"Where are you going, Haley?" Brooke asked as she stole a French fry from Haley's plate.

Haley pulled her cell phone out her purse. "I'm going to call my father."

"Haley, it's okay, really," Karen said.

"No it's not," Haley repeated. "He can't just sit around all day. He has an obligation to you and this café."

Karen gently took the phone from Haley and dropped it back into the young woman's purse. "At least let Keith talk to him first."

Haley pursed her lips together before finally nodding her head. "Okay. Fine. But if he doesn't come back…"

"Just… Just let Keith talk to him first," Karen repeated.

Haley just sat back down in her seat again and buried her face in her hands. Brooke picked up another French fry off of Haley's plate and held it out towards her.

"French fry?"

* * *

"Well. I didn't expect to see you here."

Lucas shook his head as he pushed past Nathan and into his apartment. "Funny. I didn't expect to see you here, either. Thanks for calling and letting me know that you were coming back to Tree Hill."

"You're one to talk," Nathan said. He sat down on his couch and flipped on the basketball game.

"Fine, so we're both guilty," Lucas said."But riddle me this, Batman: what the hell were you doing on that bridge?"

Nathan looked up sharply at his brother. "You know exactly what I was doing there. And let's be honest. It was a good thing I was there, wasn't it? Your friend and your girlfriend might not be in a very good place right now."

"They have names, you know," Lucas snapped. "My best friend's name is Haley and my girlfriend's name is Brooke. And if you're going to be living here, you might as well start using their names. You're going to be seeing a lot of them around here."

"Joy," Nathan muttered. "I can't wait."

"Would it kill you to be a little nicer to them? Especially Haley. She's had a rough time the past couple of months."

Nathan glanced up at Lucas, his face softening just barely at the mention of his tag-along. "What happened to her?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders as he walked back towards the door. "It's really not my place to tell."

"I hate that," Nathan groaned.

Lucas paused. "Hate what?"

"That cryptic thing that you do. It's annoying as shit."

For the first time since entering the house, Lucas smiled. "Love you too, little brother."

* * *

Haley groaned as she grabbed her ankle and pulled it behind her, stretching the muscles of her leg out. She did the same to her other leg before stretching out her arms.

Haley had made it a ritual to run once a day since returning to Tree Hill. She normally got three miles in, and it was refreshing. It was nice to know that she was strong, that she could run those three miles every day.

She took a swig of her water bottle as she prepared to do her last mile on the open track that the school had. However, just as she entered the track, the very last person she wanted to see appeared.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Hi, Haley," he muttered.

Haley nodded her head once at him. "Nathan," she said before she continued with her run.

Behind her, Nathan rolled his eyes. Within a few strides, he caught up to her and kept pace with her. They ran a lap in silence before Haley couldn't take it anymore.

"What are you even doing here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be at home sleeping, or something? You do the night shift, after all."

"Couldn't I ask you the same question?" Nathan returned. "If I remember correctly—and I do—you're doing the night shift with me for the next week."

"And what a joy it is," Haley said. "You're so much fun to be around, Officer Scott."

Nathan had to take a deep breath to bite back his customary sarcastic response. Remembering what Lucas had said earlier that day, he tried a different approach.

"I'm sorry, Haley," he said. "Maybe we could… uh… start over. You know. Things didn't exactly start out well between us."

Haley gave a very ungraceful snort as they rounded a corner halfway through their second lap. "Um, you tried to arrest me when we first met. That's not exactly solid grounds for a good relationship."

"Alright… Admittedly, that was not the best way to introduce myself."

"You think?"

"Well, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry? I was just doing my job, Haley. What did you expect?"

Haley stopped in the middle of the track and threw her hands up in the air. "Nathan—sorry, I mean _Officer Scott_—I was just on the damn bridge. I wasn't doing anything _wrong_!"

"You were trespassing on that bridge!" Nathan exclaimed. "It's _against the law_! That's why you were arrested!"

"Out of all of the things I could get arrested for, I think that standing on that stupid bridge is—"

"Those laws are there for a reason! You almost died on that bridge? Is that what you wanted Haley? Did you want to die?"

Haley stared at him for a long moment, her eyes hard and cold. Then she turned on her heel and left, running clear off the track and out of his sight.

He let her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Before all of you ask, no, Haley is not suicidal. She's just very emotional, and she once again realized that she could have been killed that night if she hadn't gotten off that bridge when she did. That's all.**

**Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! And now, it is shameless plug time. I have another **_**One Tree Hill**_** story up called **_**Always**_**. Here's the summary if you want to check it out:**

**Haley James was lost. All of that changed when Nathan Scott arrived in Tree Hill... The only problem is that he's just as lost as she is. These two lost souls come together in a time of tragedy and find the best thing of all: love.**


	4. Ninety Six Hours

**Author's Note: I'm so glad that all of enjoyed the last chapter! All of your reviews are truly inspiring. As always, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.**

**A lot of people have been telling me that they've been buying the books **_**Going Too Far**_** and **_**Forget You**_** by Jennifer Echols, both of which are excellent books. They're such great teen dramas, some of the best I've ever read. And I've read a lot of books from all genres, too. I hope that you enjoy those books as much as I did!**

**Disclaimer: I'd just like to point out that I don't own the show or the book. I only repeat this because I frequently borrow lines from **_**Going Too Far**_**.**

* * *

Haley sighed and dragged a hand through her hair, dragging her feet up the steps of the front porch of her house. Having just finished her run, she was hoping to get a nap in before her shift with Nathan. Before she did that, however, she wanted to speak to her father.

It was day three of her week-long sentence, and Haley was beyond fed up with the young police officer. As a result of their conversation yesterday afternoon, she had spent all of day two refusing to speak to him, and he had spent all night in front of the bridge, just… watching.

She was dreading her shift tonight.

Haley let out a little sigh of relief when she finally reached her door. Wiping her sweaty hair from her eyes with one hand, she reached towards the doorknob with the other, only to have it swing open under her fingers.

"Oh! Keith," Haley said. "Hi."

Keith Scott smiled at Haley. "Hey, Haley," he said. "How are you?"

"Tired," Haley mumbled.

"You look it," Keith observed with a concerned look on his face. "Have you had any sleep?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "Not much. My shift at the café starts at ten, I go on a run at three, and then my shift with Nathan starts at eleven and ends at six."

Keith let out a low whistle and gave Haley a very paternal, very disapproving look. "You're still doing shifts at the café?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders again. "I have to pay for my part of the rent somehow."

"It's only for a week," Keith. "I'm sure Karen, Luke, and Brooke would understand. Besides, I think, all things considered—"

Haley held her hand up. "Keith, thanks for the concern, but I can handle it. I need a job until the school year starts, anyway."

"Haley—"

"How was he?" Haley interrupted.

Keith sighed and shook his head before he finally said, "He's the same as he was yesterday. He won't talk to me."

Haley threw down her iPod and her water bottle. "I can change that."

"Haley!"

Haley shoved the door to the house open, not bothering to pause when it slammed against the wall. She was barely aware of Keith following her as she made her way into the living room, where her father, Jimmy James, was.

The TV was on, and he was slumped over in an armchair, an empty beer bottle clutched in his hand. His eyes were closed, and he was still wearing the same clothes that he had had on the last time she had seen him—which was three days ago.

"What are you doing?" Haley demanded as she stopped in front of the TV.

Jimmy didn't even look at her. He just kept his eyes trained on the picture in his lap, not moving.

Haley felt like she was going to scream. Instead, she took her frustrations out on the TV, jabbing her finger on the power button until it turned off.

"Dad, answer me!" Haley exclaimed. "What are you doing? Keith has been here for the past two days, trying to get you come back to the café. Why are you just _sitting_ here?"

Jimmy still didn't say anything. He just lifted the beer bottle to his lips, and frowned when he found that it was empty.

Haley dragged a hand through her sweaty hair. "Dad, it's been three months. You need to start living your life again."

Jimmy got up then, but only so he could amble into the kitchen to get another beer. Haley pressed her lips together and inhaled sharply. Tears burned in her eyes as she made to follow her father, but Keith's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Haley. Just let him go," he said quietly.

"But… Keith, I can't just leave him alone. I can't let him live like this."

"I know," Keith said soothingly. "I know. But he needs time, Haley. He needs time to heal on his own."

"But—"

"I know that he's not doing it in the most conventional way. But his wife died, Haley. You have to give him time."

Haley's eyes narrowed, her fists clenching at her sides. "Yeah, well, his wife was my mother. You don't see me sitting nearly comatose with a beer in hand."

And with that said, she turned on her heel and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Brooke was sitting in the living room after Haley came out of the shower. She was absentmindedly flipping through a magazine, but she shut it when Haley walked into the room. Brooke looked up as Haley squeezed excess water from her hair.

"You were out longer then you normally are," Brooke, who was well acquainted with Haley's running schedule by now, noted.

"I went to go see my dad," Haley replied as she sat down next to her. "Keith was there."

Brooke paused for a moment before she finally said, "So… what happened?"

Haley scrubbed a hand over her face. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Brooke nodded her head, but that didn't stop the concern shining in her eyes. She managed to keep it from her voice, but Haley knew her best friend. She looked up and gave Brooke a tired look.

"I'm going to go to bed," Haley said when she finally stood up. "Maybe I can go to sleep before I have to go spend an eight-hour shift in hell."

As Haley disappeared into her bedroom, Lucas walked into their shared apartment. He watched as Haley shut the door behind her and looked at Brooke, concern for Haley written all over his face.

"What—?"

"She went to see her dad," Brooke said, and that was all the explanation that Lucas needed. He nodded his head as Brooke ran a hand through her hair.

"Luke, I really hope your brother can help Haley," Brooke said quietly. "Can he?"

Lucas kept his eyes on Haley's closed door. "I hope so."

* * *

"Hold on."

Haley hung on for dear life as Nathan swung the police cruiser around in a sharp u-turn. She looked over at him, her brown eyes narrowed in a glare as Nathan followed the black pick-up truck speeding away from them.

"Siren," Nathan told her shortly.

With an overly-dramatic sigh, as if it would take so much effort, Haley reached over and flicked a switch on the dashboard. The night lit up with red and blue lights as the wailing siren filled the air. The pick-up truck seemed to gain even more speed as they followed it through the sleepy little town.

Officer Andy Hargrove had tipped Nathan off to a drug deal going on just outside of Tree Hill's limits. They had busted the sale, and Nathan had gone after the buyers.

Nathan cursed loudly as they lost the truck through a smattering of traffic. He pulled another u-turn and went down a back road. Haley almost asked where they were headed, but she didn't need to. Nathan had pulled into the clearing where the bridge was.

"What are we doing here?" Haley demanded. "The truck isn't here, Nathan. But, hey, look. The bridge is still here." She stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest. She truly didn't understand his obsession with the damn bridge, and she wasn't sure if she ever would. "It's not going to move, Nathan."

Nathan didn't look at her as he backed out of the clearing. "It doesn't hurt to check."

"What, to see if the bridge has moved?" When Nathan didn't answer, Haley continued, "Well, they wouldn't come down here," Haley pointed out. "There's only one way out, and you're blocking it. He may be stupid, but he's not that stupid."

Nathan glanced over at her, his car idling by the mouth of the clearing, clearly not sure where to go next. There were only so many places to hide in Tree Hill, and Nathan didn't want to give himself away by checking every place except the one that he needed to check.

"What do you suggest, then?" he asked, his blue eyes sharp even in the darkness.

Haley blinked at him. "You want to know what I think?"

"You're supposed to be helping me, aren't you?"

That was as close to a yes as she was ever going to get. After a moment, Haley said, "I'm betting the truck is just going to pick a place to hide out until morning. He's probably figured out by now that you're the only one chasing him. He'll pick a hiding place that has two ways out."

Nathan was silent, waiting for her to continue. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable under his blue-eyed gaze, Haley continued, "He could be hiding by the high school. By Tric. Maybe out by the auto shop, but I doubt it. My guess would be Tric."

"Why Tric?"

"It's probably where he said he would meet up with his friends. Unfortunately, a lot of deals go down by Tric."

Nathan, surprisingly, followed her advice. "You know an awful lot about hiding from the cops," he said as he followed the main road to the night club.

Without missing a beat, Haley responded, "I'm friends with Brooke Davis."

* * *

Near the end of the shift, Haley and Nathan arrived at the café. It stayed open for twenty-four hours, and Haley was surprised to see Karen behind the counter through the window.

Nathan seemed to be, too. "I didn't know that Aunt Karen worked this late."

"She normally doesn't," Haley responded.

They remained silent as they walked up the street. All of the hungover kids from Tric were now at the café, and several yelling guys walked past them, pumping their fists in the air.

Nathan put his hand on the small of Haley's back, guiding her up the steps of the café. As soon as they walked through the door, his hand dropped from her skin, but the tingling sensation remained.

Haley looked up at Nathan, her eyes wide. Tingling sensation?

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Seventy Two Hours

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! My computer got a lovely little virus and deleted all of my files. At any rate, thank you for the amazing reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

It had been three months. Three months to the day.

Haley sat cross-legged in front of the marble-white headstone. She clutched a bouquet of sunflowers in her right hand—her mother's favorite flowers, and hers.

She just sat there, staring at the inscription: _Lydia James, beloved mother, wife, and friend_. There were already a plethora of colorful flowers surrounding the headstone, courtesy of Karen and Keith. Haley wondered, not for the first time, if her father had ever visited the gravesite.

After another few long, silent minutes, Haley laid the sunflowers on the ground, right in front of the grave. She pressed her fingertips to her lips and then laid her hand on top of the headstone.

"Bye, Mom," she whispered. "Love you."

She stood and turned and was surprised to spot a familiar raven head across the grave yard, under a weeping willow. Her eyes narrowed, briefly wondering if he was actually following her, before she realized that he was standing in front of two identical grey headstones.

Having spent a total of twenty-four hours with him, eight hours at a time, Haley had come to think that she was beginning to understand him. Spending so much time with a person at one time let someone see into their mannerisms, they way they talked, the way they acted.

It was only then, standing in that graveyard, that Haley realized she didn't really understand Nathan Scott that well after all.

* * *

Haley dropped her hand into the bowl of popcorn sitting on the sofa between her and Lucas. She knew that she should be getting some sleep, but seeing as how what day it was, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Instead, she looked over at her best friend, the questions about his mysterious twin brother burning in her mind. She was itching to ask one of them, but she knew she shouldn't, and…

"I saw your brother at the graveyard today."

Oops.

Lucas's gaze didn't leave the TV screen, but Haley didn't miss the way he tensed up, or the way that his jaw locked. She waited, her hand still in the popcorn bowl, holding her breath and regretting saying anything at all.

"Oh."

Haley blinked. That was it? That was all he was going to say? For a moment she felt hurt; even though she regretted asking the question, they were best friends. Lucas knew that he could tell her anything. The whole situation with his twin brother clearly bothered him.

Haley set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table before she reached over and grabbed both of Lucas's hands in hers, forcing him to turn away from the television.

"You know that you can talk to me about anything, right?" she said quietly.

A vein in Lucas's temple twitched. His clear blue eyes clouded over with a sadness that Haley had never seen before; a sadness that made Haley want to protect her best friend.

Finally, Lucas squeezed her hands. "Yes," he said simply. He turned back to the TV, but Haley continued to watch him. After a long moment, Lucas said, "I was at the graveyard today, too."

Haley didn't say anything, even though questions were slamming around in her head. She waited, watching Lucas's hands clench and then relax, over and over.

"I went to visit your mom's grave, but I also… went to visit another grave. Two, actually." He glanced over at her, and Haley was surprised to see that his eyes had misted over. "They were people that I knew really well. A long time ago."

He fell silent after that, and Haley reached over, covering one of his hands with her own. He held onto her hand tightly.

* * *

Haley had learned to bring a book with her when she went on patrol with Nathan. On the fourth night of her sentence, she found herself at the bridge with Nathan. Again.

At this point, she had given up on asking questions about the stupid bridge, though she very much wanted to. However, she had managed to keep in mind that the questions she couldn't keep from one Scott brother hadn't gotten her into any trouble, even though it could have. She didn't want to push her luck.

So she sat with her nose buried in an old book, looking at the words but not really reading them. Every now and then, she would turn the page, just for a change of scenery, but Nathan never looked away from the bridge.

Haley couldn't take it anymore. If he was going to drag her to the bridge, then he could at least make it interesting. Since that didn't look like it wasn't going to happen any time soon, it was up to Haley to start something.

She dropped her paperback at her feet and turned to Nathan, staring at him until he turned those cerulean on her. She blinked, not exactly used to the full force of those baby blues, but she managed to string a question together in her mind—altogether avoiding graveyards.

"Did you always want to be a cop?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "What makes you ask that question?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "It just seems like… I don't know. It seems like being a cop wasn't your first career choice."

Now an eyebrow rose. "How would you be able to tell that?"

"I'm just guessing," Haley admitted. "I'm just trying to get you to talk."

To her surprise, Nathan cracked a smile. It changed the whole look of his handsome face, lighting it up even though it was a small smile. Haley could only imagine what it would look like if he fully grinned.

"I became a police officer to protect people," he said simply.

"Oh, come on," Haley said. A small smile of her own was growing on her face. She was actually enjoying this. "Give me something else. That's just a nice way to say that you're trying to stop stupid people from doing stupid things, isn't it?"

Nathan's smile grew a little bit more. "Not necessarily. I just want to help people." The smile disappeared, and his cerulean eyes clouded over briefly. But it was gone in a second, and before Haley could ask another question, he had turned to her, the corners of his mouth tilting up a little. Not quite the smile that he had moments before.

"What about you?" he asked. "What did you major in when you were at college?"

Haley decided to indulge him and answer his question; after all, he had answered hers, bland as that answer had been. "Business with a minor in music," she said.

"Interesting," Nathan said. He actually did look interested. "What do you plan on doing with that degree?"

"I was hoping to become a music producer. The plan was for the three of us to head to New York, eventually." 'The three of us' being her, Lucas, and Brooke.

"Wow. A music producer?"

Haley nodded her head. "Yeah. Lucas would write the next great American novel, and Brooke would launch her own fashion line. That was always the plan, ever since we first met."

Nathan turned back to look out at the bridge. "Ambitious," he muttered. If Haley wasn't mistaken, she thought that she heard a little tinge of jealousy in his voice. But she could have been imagining things, though.

"Yeah, maybe," Haley agreed absently. "But aren't dreams always a little ambitious?"

Nathan smiled this time, a real smile. "I think you can do it," he said softly.

Haley smiled back. She liked the way a smile looked on Nathan Scott.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Seventy Hours

**Author's Note: As always, thank you for the great reviews! I hope that you all like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

They're little moment in the car had been ruined by a call in from the station. A fight had broken out at Tric, and Nathan was the only officer on duty that wasn't currently doing anything.

Haley couldn't stop her heart rate from picking up as Nathan flicked on his sirens (but kept the speeding to a minimum) and pulled out of the clearing. Within a few moments, they were on their way towards Tric.

"Are you scared?" Haley wondered out loud. The thought of Nathan going in alone to a bar fight—especially at Tric, which was notorious for awful fights—didn't sit well with the Haley. She briefly wondered why it bothered her so much, but she knew that she would have been worried about anyone going into a bar fight by themselves.

Nathan looked like he really wanted to say no to her question. "Apprehensive," he finally said. "I'd be stupid not to be cautious, especially when going into a bar fight." He pulled into Tric's parking lot and turned the motor off, but not the sirens. "That's why I'm leaving the sirens on. To soften everyone up."

"So am I staying here, or…?"

Nathan gave her an incredulous look. "You're staying here, of course. Do you really think that I would let you go in there?"

Haley lifted her chin, all thought of her concern forgotten. "I've been in Tric before, Officer Scott," she said. "I'm pretty sure that I could handle myself."

Nathan shook his head. "How is it that you manage to make a title of respect sound like an insult? And I wasn't trying to insinuate that you couldn't handle yourself, Haley. But a fight just broke out in a bar full of mostly drunk people. I don't think anything will happen, but I'd rather not risk it."

He gave her a jaunty two-fingered salute before he walked towards the club. Haley crossed her arms and fumed for a moment before reaching over and flicking off the sirens. She supposed that she should be touched that Nathan was worried about something happening to her in Tric—and maybe a part of her was. But it wasn't as if she'd never witnessed a bar fight before. She definitely could have handled it.

"Ah, screw it," Haley muttered.

She swung herself out of the car and jogged towards the club. Even though Nathan had shown up, sirens blaring, the music was still thumping loudly. The fight must not have been that horrible, since most everyone had returned to dancing to the techno-pop beat.

Haley found Nathan back by the bar, talking to some guy that had his back to her. Nathan had his serious "officer" face on, his face expressionless as he listened to whatever story that the guy was rattling off.

She silently inched her way towards him and came to stand beside him. She barely noticed the dirty look that Nathan gave her due to her shock at seeing the person that Nathan had been lecturing.

"_Damien?_" Haley asked, her jaw dropping open. "What are you _doing_ here?"

Damien West looked up and winced. He touched the area under his right eye, which was swollen and quickly becoming a lovely shade of black-and-blue. He gave Haley what was supposed to be a seductive smile, but he managed to fail.

"I came to see about a coaching position at the high school," Damien explained. "But that old fart pretty much told me that I wasn't good enough."

Haley saw Nathan's blue eyes flash with mirth, and she almost smiled, but it wasn't exactly appropriate. Damien didn't seem to notice, though, as he kept staring at her.

"So what are you doing, hanging out with the fuzz?" Damien asked. "Especially this one. You know, he's only trying to arrest me 'cause I beat him in the state championship."

This time, Haley could practically hear Nathan rolling his eyes. But he didn't say anything, which was a remarkable show of his professionalism.

Changing the subject, Haley said, "I had a little… incident." She still sometimes thought that it was stupid that she had nearly gotten arrested. But then she remembered that train speeding down the tracks, and—even though she wouldn't actually admit it out loud to anyone—she was glad that Nathan had arrived when he did.

Damien's eyes flashed. "Oh, so you're a bad girl now, Haley James?"

"Okay." Nathan chose this moment to step in, and Haley was glad. "Look, I'm not going to arrest you, West. I just want a statement."

Letting Nathan do his job, Haley wandered off, towards the front of the club. The music was practically vibrating through her, it was so loud. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the music move through her.

She had always loved music, but she hadn't really enjoyed it since… well, she hadn't it enjoyed it for a while. It was a shame, because her mother wouldn't have been proud of her for giving something up that such an integral part of her—of both of them.

Before she could continue her thoughts, she felt someone step up behind her. Without turning around, she knew exactly who it was.

Nathan was close—really close. She could feel the material of his uniform brushing against her back. And when she turned, she caught the scent of the cologne he was wearing. It was subtle, not exactly the scent she would have thought that he would wear, but it worked for him. And it was something that she had never noticed him wearing before. Maybe it was because she had never been this close to him before. And maybe that was a good thing, because her pulse was racing and it was a little unnerving.

"Ready to go?" Nathan asked.

Haley cleared her throat. Jeez, was it hot in here, or was it just her? She couldn't be sure. "Yeah, sure. Where to next, Officer Scott?"

She was rewarded with a smile—her pulse jumped up another couple of beats (what was _wrong_ with her?)—and he began to move through the undulating crowd towards the door.

"There's a pick-up truck stuck in the mud off route 30," Nathan said. "We have to—"

Haley never got to hear what Nathan was going to say, as an errant club-goer slammed into her. Though she managed to hide it from Nathan, Haley was actually quite unsteady on her feet. When the guy slammed into her, she completely lost her footing and went careering towards the wall.

All she could think was, "_Well, at least it's not a face-plant._"

However, it never got to the point where she actually hit the wall. Instead, she fell into a hard chest, with strong arms wrapped around her to help right her again. And even when she had been righted, he still didn't let go.

Haley opened her eyes—she hadn't realized that she had closed them—and caught the scent of that cologne again. And then she was staring into Nathan's Scott cobalt blue eyes.

It seemed like forever before Nathan said, "Are you okay?"

Haley nodded her head, suddenly not trusting her voice. Nathan's arms stayed around her for a moment longer, and then he let go.

* * *

It was raining.

Really hard.

Haley was pressing on the bumper of the pick-up truck with as much strength as she could muster, but it didn't seem to be making much of a difference, even with Nathan there helping her. The driver let up on the glass pedal and Haley stepped back, attempting to wipe some of the rain out of her eyes but only really succeeding in smearing mud across her forehead.

When she turned towards Nathan, she found him staring at her ass.

Haley's hand flew to her back, right above the waist band of her jeans, where her t-shirt had ridden up. And then she remembered the tattoo that she had gotten nearly three months ago. Her fingers moved over her inked skin before she forced herself to pull her hand away. She was proud of that tattoo.

"Twenty-three?" Nathan finally managed to choke out.

Haley nodded her head, watching the shocked look on his face that was mixed with… something else. Even in the dark rain, Haley could see that his cobalt eyes had suddenly gotten much darker.

Nathan stared at her for another long moment before he shook his head and mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "…too distracting." He jerked his head towards the guy in the pick-up truck.

"Go trade places with the driver," he ordered. "This is his damn car, anyway."

Haley, for once, did what she was told, the memory of his eyes on her back practically burning her skin. When Nathan signaled her, she slammed on the gas and he and the guy through their weight on the back of the car. The tires spun before catching, sending the car shooting forward.

When Haley got out of the car, she found that the driver was wet but otherwise happy. Nathan, on the other hand, was covered in mud. Haley couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

Nathan pointed at her, trying hard not to smile himself but failing. "Not a word. Come on."

"You're covered in mud," Haley pointed out unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I know," Nathan said, actually flashing her a brief smile. "Which is why we're going back to my place. I don't look too intimidating to criminals covered in mud."

Haley's heart rate had picked up (once again) and she could feel her cheeks heating up. But she managed to say, "No, you don't."

"Besides," Nathan said as he started the engine of the police cruiser. "I can't have you running around soaking wet. Brooke and Lucas would kill me if I let you get sick."

They drove in silence to his apartment, which was—surprisingly—not that far from hers. They sat in the car in the dark after Nathan had turned off the engine.

"Why twenty-three?" he asked quietly, suddenly.

Haley cleared her throat and looked over at him. Even in the dark, she could see his blue eyes flash. Her hand went to her back, where her tattoo was.

"My mother had leukemia." Her voice was getting quieter with each word spoken. "They gave her thirteen months to live. She lived for twenty-three."

She was surprised when she felt Nathan's hand close around hers. He squeezed briefly before he opened his car door.

And they went inside.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Sixty Two Hours

**Author's Note: Thanks for the great reviews! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

Nathan's apartment was practically around the corner from the one she shared with Brooke and Lucas, Haley couldn't help but note.

His apartment didn't look anything like she expected it to. She didn't know what she had expected it to look like, exactly, but she was surprised to find that it was so… bare.

In the living room, there was nothing but a sofa and a coffee table. Across from the sofa was a large, flat screen television, and there was a gaming system set up underneath it. The walls were bare, and plain shades hung over the windows. She could see the kitchen, and it was spotless. Well, it had been until Nathan tracked mud into it.

He was standing at the kitchen sink wiping as much mud as he could off of his uniform. Finally, after a few moments, he pulled his uniform shirt off, leaving him in a white t-shirt. He dropped the top of his uniform in the sink, and Haley couldn't help but notice the way the t-shirt clung to his well-muscled back.

Nathan yanked his boots off of his feet and left them by the sink as well. "Come on," he said, gesturing for Haley to follow him down a hallway.

They entered his bedroom, and Haley was more surprised by this room than anything else. There was a bed pressed up against the far wall with plain white sheets. But across from that was a large family photo, featuring a young Nathan and Lucas, maybe ten years old. Behind them was a dark haired man and a blonde woman, and in the middle of them was a boy of about eighteen years old.

Haley's brow furrowed. "I didn't know that you two have an older brother."

When Nathan didn't say anything, Haley turned to look at him. She found him staring at the photo, his face blank but his blue eyes stormy. Finally, he grunted and turned away from the photo, disappearing into his closet.

Since the subject of the photo was apparently taboo, Haley turned and looked at the rest of the room. There were a few other photos, most of them with the young Nathan and Lucas with the other boy in the family photograph. In a few of them, there was a curly-haired blonde smiling as well.

Next to the bed, Haley also noticed a basketball and a pair of running shoes. She shouldn't have been surprised, since one of the photographs featured an eight year old Nathan and Lucas, both in basketball uniforms and holding basketballs, a trophy supported between them.

"How long have you been playing?" Haley asked instead, nodding her head towards the basketball.

"I haven't," Nathan said.

"Oh." Haley bit her lip and then started to ramble—it was something she did whenever she got nervous. "I only ask because I know that Lucas plays. He was helping Whitey coach the ravens, you know. He's working at the summer camp that the school runs and…"

She trailed off when she saw Nathan looking at her with an amused look on his face. "Yeah, I know," he said. He came out of the closet, already changed into a clean uniform. He handed her a sweatshirt, and Haley held it up.

It was a Duke University basketball sweatshirt. Somewhat against Haley's better judgment, she asked, "Is this where you went to college?"

"Yeah." The warm amusement in Nathan's eyes was no longer there. Haley could have sworn that she was getting whiplash from his mood swings, but clearly the subject of basketball and his family were sore subjects.

So she completely changed the subject. Haley pulled the sweater over her head, noting how she completely swam in it. It smelled just like Nathan, too, and she grinned at him.

"Does this mean we're going steady?"

Nathan gave her a relieved look before smiling, his blue eyes twinkling. He just shook his head and looped his belt around his waist.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

Haley wanted to ask so many questions. Lucas never talked about his family, and a little part of Haley couldn't help but hope that she would be able to learn something from Nathan. She normally wasn't so nosey, but she had always been worried about Lucas whenever the subject of his family had come up.

"Yeah," Haley said instead.

* * *

"I'm exhausted. I don't know if I can handle three more nights of this. And those ambulance sirens are _loud_."

"It's only three more nights, Brookie," Haley repeated with a smile.

"Well, at least I can take comfort in the fact that you don't get along with Nathan at all," Brooke said as she flopped dramatically on the couch.

Haley snorted ungracefully. "Thanks, Brooke," she said wryly before she continued, "And Nathan and I… things aren't as bad anymore."

Brooke blinked once at Haley before she jumped up onto the couch and pointed at her. "OH MY GOD!" she yelled as she jumped up and down. "YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON OFFICER NATHAN SCOTT!"

"BROOKE!" Haley yelled in return. She jumped up and slapped her hand over her friend's mouth, pulling her down so that they were sitting again. "God, do you have to be so loud?" She paused before saying, "And I don't have a crush on Nathan!"

"Oh, yes you do," Brooke said. "You're so crushed out on the big bad police officer. I can totally tell. The whole arguing with him thing… That was totally unresolved sexual tension."

"Oh my God! _Brooke!_"

"What? It's true?"

"What's true?"

Both girls turned around as Lucas entered the apartment. He was carrying a large bag of groceries as he kicked the door shut behind him. Haley's cheeks burned bright red as Brooke smirked.

"Nothing—" Haley began, but Brooke interrupted her.

"Haley has a crush on Nathan!"

"_Brooke!_"

Lucas made a choking noise and dropped the bag of groceries. Both Brooke and Haley gave the ripped bag a forlorn look.

"I hope you didn't crush the cookies," Haley said.

"If you broke my chocolate bar…" Brooke threatened.

But Lucas ignored both of those statements. Instead, he turned to Haley, his eyes wide. "You have a crush on my brother?" he managed.

Haley shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish look, feeling her cheeks burn even hotter. "Surprise?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, I know it was short, but I kept getting stuck on it. Still, I hope that it wasn't too bad. I hope that you all liked this chapter!**


	8. Fifty Three Hours

**Author's Note: As always, thanks for the great reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

Haley stared down at her hands as she sat on the front porch of her childhood home. Despite how angry she had been with her father two days ago, she just couldn't bring herself to open the door and go in there. She had already lost one parent. She couldn't bear to watch herself losing another.

With a sigh, she finally dropped her head into her hands and dragged her hands through her hair. She had taken her shift at the café off, but she was still exhausted. As much as she was enjoying getting to know Nathan, she just wanted her little punishment to be over. It wasn't only physically exhausting to ride around Tree Hill all night with Officer Nathan Scott; it was emotionally exhausting, as well.

Spending time around Nathan reminded Haley of all of the things that she didn't know about Lucas, her best friend. There were just some things that Lucas had never talked about, and Haley had accepted that. But now she was getting glimpses into Nathan's life… and Nathan himself was an enigma.

Haley was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the steps on the porch creak. She looked up to see Lucas walking towards her, his hands shoved in his pockets. He studied her for a long moment before he sat down on the porch swing next to her.

"Hey," he finally said.

"Hey," Haley repeated, lifting her head from her hands.

Lucas looked at the front door before looking back at her. "Have you talked to him?"

Haley shook her head. "No," she said with a sigh. "Maybe Keith is right. I should just give him time and let him work this out on his own. I can't go in there and badger him. It's not going to help him, or me."

Lucas's lips tilted up in a small smile. "Uncle Keith tends to be right." He wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders and gave her a comforting squeeze. "Your dad will make it through this. And Uncle Keith has done his fair share of badgering, so don't worry."

Haley snorted and dropped her head to Lucas's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that he's a little bit more nicer about it than I am."

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few moments, rocking back and forth gently on the swing. Lucas looked down at her and squeezed her shoulders again.

"So… you like my brother, huh?" he asked as casually as he could.

Haley stiffened and felt her cheeks hit up. "Luke…"

"No, don't worry about it," Lucas said, waving his free hand dismissively. "You'd be good for him. Although I can't say that I think he deserves you."

Haley hit Lucas lightly on the chest. "What do you mean, I'd be good for him?"

"I'm sure that you've noticed that my brother isn't exactly a ray of sunshine."

"Lucas." Haley sat up and turned to face her best friend fully. "What happened?"

Lucas stared at her for a long moment, his clear, blue eyes troubled and sad. Finally, he stood up and walked over to the porch steps. Haley thought that he was going to drop the subject again, but he stopped just before the steps and turned to her.

"Come on," he said. "I want to show you something."

* * *

Haley couldn't say if she was really surprised when Lucas brought her to the graveyard. Part of her was, and part of her wasn't.

He led her to a set of graves situated underneath a tree. From where they were standing, Haley could see her mother's headstone. But the headstones that they were standing in front of were considerably more worn.

Lucas was just staring down at the headstones, so Haley looked down at the inscriptions. On one, it read, '_Jake Scott, loved son, brother, and friend._' On the other, it said, "_Peyton Sawyer, loved daughter and friend._' Another stone was resting between the two headstones. This one read, '_Love is strong even in death._'

The look on Lucas's face and the names on the headstones were all Haley needed to make the connection.

"The boy in the picture," she whispered.

Lucas looked at her then, his brow furrowed. "What?"

Haley started and turned towards him. "I was in Nathan's apartment last night… or this morning, whatever. He needed to change. And in his room, there was this picture of you two with a dark-haired man and a blonde woman. I'm guessing they're your parents."

Lucas nodded his head. "Dan and Deb," he said quietly.

Haley paused before continuing. "And in between as another boy." She looked back down at the headstone. "Jake."

Lucas nodded his head again. Then, in a thick voice, he said, "He was our older brother. He was eighteen when he… when he died. And Peyton was his girlfriend." He swallowed hard. "They were going to get married."

Haley's breath caught in her throat and she took his hand, squeezing it. Lucas looked over at her, a watery smile on his face. He took a deep breath and ran his free hand through his short hair.

"My parents split up after Jake died. It was… it was too much, I guess. Nathan went to live with my dad. They moved to Charlotte. I stayed with my mom here, and Aunt Karen and Uncle Keith. But when I was eleven, my mom started getting involved in some… some pretty heavy-duty stuff. Mostly it was just alcohol and prescription pills. But it got to the point where Aunt Karen pretty much kicked her out and told her to go to rehab, or she wouldn't be able to see me anymore." Lucas shrugged his shoulders but still held onto Haley's hand. "She went to rehab. I never saw her again. I get some postcards every now and then, but… I guess she's happy. I don't really know."

Haley stared at Lucas, tears burning in her eyes. At twelve years old, when she had befriended Lucas just after moving to Tree Hill, she had had no idea that he had been through all of that. He had always been a happy person, always ready to help anyone else. As they had grown older, Haley had seen glimpses of that unbearable sadness, but Lucas was always good at hiding it.

"Oh, Lucas…" Haley finally said. Not really knowing what else to say, she wrapped her arms around her best friend. She felt tears drop onto her neck as her own tears rolled down her cheeks. It had taken Lucas a lot to tell her all of this.

Finally, Lucas pulled back and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. "I'm going to have to tell Brooke, aren't I?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and scrubbed at her own cheeks. "That's up to you, Luke. But I will say this: you love her. I know you do. And things… If you want to be with her like I think you do, you're going to have to tell her everything. No holding back, you know?"

Lucas nodded his head. "I think I'll tell her when we get back," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Haley watched him for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Luke… there's just one more thing that I have to know." Lucas looked at her, open to any questions that she had. "Why is Nathan so obsessed with the bridge?"

Lucas sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "That's something that he'll have to tell you, Haley. I made peace with that bridge a long time ago."

* * *

Haley sat cross-legged on the hill by the track where she did her laps. The sun was setting, and Haley just found peace in watching the yellow, pink, and orange streaks being painted across the sky.

This was normally when she would try to get some sleep before her shift with Nathan, but she couldn't bring herself to take even a short nap. Her heart was breaking for Nathan and Lucas, and she just wished that there was some way that she could help them.

"Haley."

Haley looked up to see Nathan standing over her. She squinted against the rays from the setting sun, and Nathan sat down next to her.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "Just… watching the sun set. It's nice."

"It's beautiful," Nathan agreed, but he wasn't looking at the sun. He was looking at her.

Haley could feel herself blush, and she cleared her throat. Butterflies had suddenly appeared in her stomach, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of them. "Uh… what are you doing out here?"

"I did my run a little late today," Nathan said. "And I saw you sitting up here." His eyes never left her face, and those blue orbs were concerned. "Are you okay?"

Haley couldn't believe that he was asking her that question. After everything that he had been through, _he_ was asking _her_ if she was okay?

But she wasn't going to ambush him with everything that Lucas had told her. If Nathan wanted to tell her, then she would wait for him to do it on his own terms.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Haley said. "I was just taking some time."

"Do you want me to leave? I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, it's okay." Haley smiled at him. "If there was anyone that I wanted to sit with me here, it would be you."

Nathan grinned at her, his blue eyes flashing happily. He reached a hand out, almost tentatively, and touched Haley's cheek with his fingertips. Haley inhaled sharply before she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

She heard Nathan sigh. "Haley…" he muttered.

Haley opened her eyes then. "You can't," she said, not sounding resigned. She sounded like she was just accepting it.

"Not right now," Nathan said. "But at 6:01 A.M. on Friday… I can. That is, if you want to."

Haley looked at him, not entirely sure if he was serious. "Really?"

"Only if you want to," Nathan repeated.

Haley practically beamed at him. "6:01 A.M., Friday. It's a date."

Nathan was grinning at her again. He cupped her cheek fully and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her forehead before he let her go. He stood, holding his hand out to her.

"Let's get some dinner," he offered.

Haley took his hand, still grinning.

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter had some pretty heavy stuff in it, to make up for my not updating in a while. I really hope that you all liked it!**


	9. Twenty Six Hours

**Author's Note: Thanks for the amazing reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

It was twenty-six hours until 6:01 A.M. Friday.

The shift directly after they had made their little date had been relatively uneventful. And to Haley's surprise, Nathan didn't visit the bridge once. Yeah, so he drove by it a few times. But still. Progress was progress.

At four o'clock in the morning, Haley was exhausted. She hadn't been able to get much sleep. She was almost embarrassingly excited for 6:01 A.M. Friday. And Brooke had pretty much figured it out already, damn her. That girl was entirely too observant for her own good.

Yawning, Haley pressed her forehead against the cool window and closed her eyes. The movement of the car was soothing. Nathan was actually a very good driver when he wasn't speeding towards a crime.

The car suddenly stopped, and Haley opened her eyes. Yawning again, Haley sat up and looked over at Nathan, who was watching her with an affectionate look on his face.

"We're at the café," he said, pointing out at the building he had parked in front of. "You looked like you could use some sugar. We still have an hour to go."

Haley rubbed at her eyes as she nodded her head. She hadn't realized that she was so tired that she could barely form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence.

They made their way into the café. Trying to get as much sugar into her system, Haley ordered a vanilla milkshake and a piece of three layer dark chocolate cake. Figuring a jolt of caffeine wouldn't hurt either, Haley ordered a cup of coffee as well.

Nathan, on the other hand, ordered a cup of coffee and a slice of cherry pie. He was used to the night shift and obviously didn't need the jolt of sugar to stay awake like she did.

The café was relatively empty, and they got their order quickly. Nathan watched with amusement as Haley dumped three packets of sugar into her coffee.

"That can't be healthy," he said.

Haley took a sip of her coffee. "It's Splenda," she said, pointing at the discarded sugar packets.

"You look like you need a good night's… well, day's sleep. Are you sure that all of that sugar won't keep you from falling asleep?" Nathan asked, nodding his head towards her sugary order.

Haley shrugged and speared a piece of her cake with her fork. "I'll crash in about an hour and half," she said. She knew from experience that when on a sugar high, she flew high for an hour and then crashed hard. Brooke and Lucas always teased her about it.

Nathan didn't have much experience with sugar highs. "My dad always had me eating healthy," he said. "For training. I never really went on a sugar binge."

"Training for what?" Haley asked after swallowing a mouthful of milkshake.

Nathan's eyes widened for the briefest of moments. The teasing glint in his eyes disappeared, and Haley saw him visibly shut himself down again. She almost let out a loud and gusty sigh (she was too tired to censor herself at the moment) when Nathan suddenly looked up at her again, a smile on his face and an almost naughty twinkle in his eye.

"Are you sure that you'll have enough energy for tomorrow morning?" he asked. "If you're this tired…" He trailed off, letting the unfinished challenge hang in the air.

Haley's eyes narrowed as she looked on the raven-haired police officer sitting across from her. "Oh, I'll definitely have enough energy for tomorrow morning," she said with much more confidence than she actually had. "And nice try, Nathan. Training for what?"

Nathan sighed, almost unable to believe that he was about to give in and tell her. Though it really shouldn't surprise him. There was just something about Haley James that made him want to open up.

"For basketball," he finally answered, much to Haley's surprise.

She almost pointed her finger at him and yelled 'Ah-ha! I _knew_ it!" But Haley managed to refrain from doing it. The sugar must have started to kick in, then.

Instead, she just looked at him steadily. "I thought you said you didn't play," she said without any accusation in her voice.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, looking away from her. His blue eyes were closed off once again. "I lied."

"Okay. Um…" Instead of asking the obvious question, Haley instead said, "How long have you been playing?"

"Since I could walk," Nathan said, still without looking up at her. "My dad had both Lucas and I playing since I could remember." A faint smile touched his lips. "We were damn good."

Haley noticed right away that Nathan used the past tense. But she also noticed that his words were spoken without animosity or bitterness. She smiled a little, trying to catch his eye.

"It sounds like you loved basketball," she said.

Nathan finally looked up, but not at Haley. He kept his eyes on her shoulder, his fingers twisting one of her empty sugar packets. "I did," he said quietly.

Now Haley asked the obvious question. "Then why did you stop?"

Nathan finally looked at her, his cobalt eyes intense and blazing. "Lucas has HCM."

As if that explained everything.

Lucas had discovered that he had HCM, a heart condition, at the end of their junior year at UNC. Lucas had received a mysterious phone call—Haley now assumed that that call had come from Nathan—saying that his father had suffered a heart attack, and it was the result of the condition.

After finding out about his father, Lucas had locked himself in his room for almost two full days. At the time, Haley had been working with Brooke on a project for one of her business classes. It had been Brooke who had coaxed Lucas out of his room, Brooke who had gotten him to eat something. They had started dating shortly after that.

Once Brooke had gotten him out of his room, Lucas had gone to get tested for HCM. He had insisted that Haley go with him, and she had held his hand as the doctor had told him that he wouldn't be able to play basketball again.

Lucas had grieved for a little while. He had been the star of the basketball team at UNC, and he was being scouted to join the NBA. But he had turned his grief around and channeled it into writing and discovered that he could still be involved in basketball by coaching it. And even better: as long as he took his medication, Lucas could still play his favorite game, as long as he took it easy. Lucas had recovered from the loss of being able to play as he once used to.

Haley wasn't entirely sure what this had to do with Nathan no longer playing basketball. She could tell that it was something that he enjoyed. He looked like he loved the game as much as Lucas did.

But Haley let it go. She was surprised that Nathan had told her as much as he did, considering the way he had reacted the last time she had asked him about basketball.

Reaching across the table, she touched his hand. Nathan, who had been staring down into his lap, looked up at her.

"So," she said with a smile on her face. She was determined to get him to smile again, and if taking this conversation and making a complete one-eighty with it was what she had to do, then she would do it.

"You know Chuck E. Cheese's?" When Nathan nodded his head (there was a look of confusion on his face—he obviously had no idea where this new topic of discussion was going), Haley continued, "I almost drowned in the balls in the ball pit…"

* * *

Brooke pressed a kiss to Lucas's bare chest as she scooted closer to him. She rested her head right over his heart, listening to its reassuring beating.

She had had no idea of the pain that he had been through. Their shifts had been slow, so the firemen and the paramedics had let them off early. When they had gotten home, Lucas had spent two hours just talking, telling Brooke everything that had happened.

Even though there would always be a dull ache, Lucas had been at peace with what had happened in his family for years. He was even at peace with his heart condition. The man she was laying with was so brave and selfless. She was in awe that he had shared this part of him with her.

Laying there, wrapped up in Lucas's arms, there was only one thing that Brooke could think about. And it was a little bit crazy, and maybe it made her heart nearly pound out of her chest, but she knew that this was it. That the moment was _right_.

Lifting her head up from Lucas's chest, Brooke looked him right in the eye and said, "Marry me?"

Lucas stared at her for a long moment, his blue eyes going wide with shock. Finally, he managed to get out, "I… What?"

Brooke laughed and leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Will you marry me?" she repeated.

"Oh," Lucas said. "That actually happened."

Now Brooke swatted his chest. "Yes, it actually happened! God, Luke, you're such a jackass sometimes—"

Lucas caught her hand and kissed her again. When he pulled away, he grinned down at her. "Of course I'll marry you," he said.

Brooke sat up and straddled him, resting her hands on his stomach. Grinning, she said, "Now you have to pick out the perfect ring," before she leaned down and kissed him once again.

* * *

Haley and Nathan sat in a comfortable silence as they drove through a quiet neighborhood. As she hoped it would, her story about Chuck E. Cheese had made Nathan smile. He had even started teasing her again about being a complete and utter klutz, and Haley let him. Well, it wasn't like she wasn't.

Nathan's radio buzzed, and he listened as the dispatcher relayed the location of a hold up at a convenience store on the other side of town. Now in full Officer Scott mode, Nathan radioed in that he was on his way.

With a glance at Haley, he flicked on his sirens and whipped the police cruiser around, heading off towards the convenience store.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	10. Twenty Four Hours

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. Things have been pretty hectic with school lately, and I've just been getting used to my classes. As always, thank you for the amazing reviews, and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Nathan turned his sirens off before they got to the convenience store. He parked in the front, on the other side of the parking lot so it would be harder for whoever was inside to see his police car, but he would still be able to see inside the store.

They waited in tense silence for backup. Haley could feel her heart thudding against her chest as she watched what was happening in the convenience store: two masked gunman had the clerk and two costumers sitting in front of the counter. One of them was at the cash register, pulling out a few twenties and a bunch of ones. It seemed like a steep price to pay for little more than one hundred twenty dollars.

Finally, Haley couldn't take it anymore. She turned to Nathan, her eyes wide and her breath coming out in short gasps. She knew it was his job, but she didn't want Nathan going in there. The thought of him being put directly in the path of danger made her stomach clench; she didn't know if she'd be able to handle anything happening to him.

"Nathan," she whispered.

He looked at her, his cobalt eyes dark. He reached towards her with one hand, placing it on her knee. Haley bit her lip before turning towards him, reaching out with both of her hands to cup his face. He closed his eyes then as she brought her face closer to his, resting her forehead against his.

She couldn't very well tell him not to go in there. And she wouldn't feel better until she saw that he was safely out of there.

So Haley did the only thing that she could do: she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, lingering for a long moment. When she pulled back, Nathan reached up with his other hand, cupping her cheek.

But then two other cop cars pulled up next to them, and Nathan pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before he got out of the car. Haley turned back in her seat, closing her eyes as she heard the officers kick the door to the store open. She heard yells and cries of fear, but it wasn't until she heard the gunshot that she opened her eyes.

Her hand immediately flew to the door handle, but she stopped herself from opening the car door just in time. If she got out of the car, she knew that Nathan wouldn't be a happy camper—especially if anymore gunshots went off.

All was silent for several long moments. Haley's hand was pressed against the window, her rapid breath fogging up the glass in front of her face before, finally, the door to the store slammed open.

The two officers that had gone in with Nathan came out, leading the two gunmen in handcuffs. The three hostages followed, all of them looking relieved. They were led over to the ambulance and other officers that had arrived on the scene.

Finally, Nathan came out.

Haley let out a laugh of relief, pressing her forehead against the cool glass and closing her eyes. She kept them closed for a long time, forcing herself not to imagine the worst-case scenario. Finally, she opened her eyes again and saw Nathan striding towards the car.

He got in without a word and turned it on, driving away from the store. He turned several times before pulling over in a residential neighborhood and turning the car off again. Haley didn't hesitate to get out of the car and run around to his side, where he was opening the door.

He didn't get much farther than that, given the way that Haley threw herself into his arms

Her arms were wrapped tight around him and her face was buried in his neck. His arms were wrapped securely around her, one of his hands buried in her hair. Haley felt tears burning in her eyes; she had been so scared when Nathan had been in that store, and now she was so relieved that he was okay.

"Nathan, I'm... I'm so glad that you're okay," Haley said. "When I heard that gunshot, I thought that… that…"

"Shh, Hales," Nathan whispered as he rubbed soothing circles over her back. "It's okay. I'm okay. It's all going to be okay."

Haley nodded her head against his neck, breathing in his warm, comforting, familiar scent. They sat like that in a comfortable silence, with Nathan continuing to rub her back and whispering soothing words in her ear.

She wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but Haley suddenly realized that she was sitting on his lap. In his cop car. On the side of the road in a neighborhood. Where anyone could see. She pulled back a little bit, but she couldn't make herself let go of his strong, broad shoulders.

"Is this allowed?" she finally asked.

Nathan's brow furrowed. "What?"

Haley let go of his shoulder briefly to gesture between them and where she was currently sitting before returning her hand to where it had been. "This," she said.

Nathan smirked then. He had known all along exactly what she had been talking about. "You mean, the way you're sitting in my lap?"

She was lucky that he hadn't smirked very often when they first met; otherwise, she really wouldn't have been able to resist him. He was so unbelievably sexy—especially when he turned the charm on.

"Yeah. That," Haley mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Well, I'm perfectly okay with this," Nathan said, his large, strong, warm hands spreading across her back. His voice had suddenly taken on a husky quality, and it made Haley's spine tingle. She moved her hands from his shoulders to wrap her arms around his neck.

He pressed her closer to him, one of his hands sliding up into her hair again so he could angle her head towards his. His mouth hovered above hers, his breath hot against her face, and she closed her eyes.

"Nathan," she whispered. Her head was swimming, and they hadn't even kissed yet. She couldn't imagine how he would make her feel at 6:01 A.M. on Friday.

Then it hit her: it wasn't 6:01 A.M. on Friday yet. Technically, they weren't allowed to do whatever it was they were about to do. She probably shouldn't even be sitting in his lap.

"Haley," Nathan breathed. His lips brushed lightly against hers and Haley had to bite back a moan.

She took a deep, shaky breath. "It's not 6:01 A.M. yet," she whispered. She said it so quietly that Nathan almost didn't hear it. But when he did, he slid his hand from her hair and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.

"I don't care," Nathan said. And before Haley could say anything else, Nathan pulled her lips to his and kissed her.

* * *

Haley shut the door behind her and leaned against it, trying to keep the wide, beaming grin off of her face. She bit her lip to hold back a girly squeal. Suddenly, Brooke came crashing out of her and Lucas's bedroom, wearing one of Lucas's shirts.

"HALEY JAMES!" she yelled. "HALEY JAMES, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I HAVE TO TELL YOU—Something happened. What happened? You're smiling. Why are you smiling? What are you smiling about?"

"Brooke, breathe!" Lucas called from their bedroom.

Haley finally gave them her full grin and said, "Nathan kissed me."

"WHAT? OH MY GOD!" Brooke grabbed Haley's hands and proceeded to jump up and down. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!"

Haley laughed as Brooke spun her around in a circle. "I think you're more excited about this than I am."

"Yeah right," Brooke said. "You're beaming. You're practically brighter than the sun." She nudged Haley as they sat down on their couch. "Now tell me, how was it?"

"But didn't you have something to tell me?" Haley asked, confused. Brooke had seemed awfully excited when she first gotten into the apartment—and that had been before she had told Brooke about her kiss with Nathan.

Brooke waved her hand dismissively. "That can wait. Now tell me what happened, H. James!"

_Even though she had been sitting on his lap, Nathan had managed to pull her even closer, their bodies flush against each other. His tongue ran along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth up, moaning quietly._

_Nathan kissed his way down her jaw and to her neck, sucking gently on her pulse point. Haley locked her fingers in his hair, tilting her head back to give him more access. It wasn't long before he made his way back up to her lips, kissing her again._

_They made this kiss last as long as they possibly could, until they couldn't breathe. Finally, they broke apart, Nathan resting his forehead against hers, his thumbs rubbing against her cheeks. They sat in a comfortable silence once again before Nathan brushed another soft kiss against her lips._

_"You're right," Nathan finally said. "It's not 6:01 A.M. yet. Though I wouldn't mind it," he mumbled._

_"Nathan, I don't want to get you in trouble," Haley said quickly. Though she really wouldn't mind it, either._

_"Yeah, I know," Nathan said dejectedly. He was actually pouting, and Haley thought it just made him even sexier. She tugged gently on his lower lip with her thumb, and he turned his lips up in a smile at her. "I just had to know what it would be like a little bit. So I could have something to look forward to tomorrow morning."_

_"Oh, Nathan," Haley said. "I'm glad you kissed me."_

_Nathan pressed another kiss to her forehead and genuinely smiled at her. "Let me take you home, Hales."_

"Aw, Haley!" Brooke said. "That's so romantic! I'm glad that you get to have this." She squeezed Haley's hand. "You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Brookie," Haley said, squeezing her friend's hand in return. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh," Brooke said with a grin. "Lucas and I got engaged."

"WHAT?"

Brooke laughed at Haley's reaction. Her brown eyes were wide and she gaping at Brooke. She turned towards Brooke and Lucas's bedroom, where her best friend had just appeared. He was grinning as he leant against the doorframe.

"Just in case you wondering, she proposed to me," Lucas said. "Even though I was going to propose to her next week." He pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket, walked over to Brooke, and knelt in front of her. He opened the box, revealing a beautiful diamond ring, and took her hand.

"I know you already asked me, Brooke, but you told me to find you the perfect ring. I already had it, so I'm going to ask you again. I love you, Brooke Davis. You're going to change the world someday, and you don't even know it. You've already changed mine, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Will you marry me?"

Brooke laughed through the tears of joy shining in her eyes. "Of course I will, Broody."

Lucas slid the ring onto her finger before kissing her, and Haley beamed at both of them. For once, everything seemed to be going right.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. Zero Hour

**Author's Note: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update! With school winding down and break coming up, hopefully I'll have more time to update. But I'm glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter! Someone asked how many chapters this story would have. I was thinking somewhere between fifteen and twenty. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"Come _on_, Luke! Will you _please_ tell me where he's taking me tonight?"

Lucas chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, Hales. I can't. He wanted your first date to be a surprise."

Haley's heart fluttered at the way Nathan was calling wherever he was taking her at 6:01 AM their first date. But it wasn't going to distract her from trying to get out of Lucas where they were going.

"Oh, come on. The two of you haven't been close for twelve years, and _now_ you decide to get all buddy-buddy?"

"I thought you'd be happy about that."

"I am!" Haley crossed her arms and scowled. "When did you get so good at avoiding my questions?"

"Well, apparently Nathan is the only one that can surprise you anymore. You think I wouldn't take advantage of that?"

"Some best friend you are."

Suddenly, the door to her room slammed open. Brooke appeared with her arms full of makeup, hair products, and shoes. She dumped them all on Haley's bed and then pointed imperiously towards the door.

"Out!" she ordered her fiancé.

Lucas frowned. "But—"

"No. Out!"

Lucas reluctantly left the room. As he shut the door, he called over his shoulder, "You better not tell her where he's taking her!"

Haley whipped towards her friend. "You know where Nathan is taking me?"

"Yes, I know where Officer Scott is taking you," Brooke said. "I had to know. Otherwise, how would I pick out the perfect outfits for you?"

Haley couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's antics and sat up, eager to see what Brooke had picked out for her. Maybe then she'd be able to figure out where Nathan was taking her.

"Tonight, I want you to wear a pair of jeans and that cute green sweater. Nathan loves you in green. But for tomorrow night, when Nathan takes you on your date…" Brooke pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a sparkly gold tank top. She put a cropped leather jacket on top of that and then a pair of black, flat, knee-high boots. "Voila!"

Haley's brow furrowed as she fingered the material of the tank top. "Is he taking me to a club?"

"No! That's like the worst first date ever. But I'm still not telling you because it's a _surprise_." She grabbed a curling iron. "Now, for your hair…"

* * *

Nathan gave Haley an appreciative look as walked towards him in her green sweater, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. She put it in the trunk of his police cruiser before meeting him near the front of the car. Nathan put a hand on her shoulder, smoothing his fingers over the soft material of the sweater.

"Haley," he greeted.

"Nathan," she returned. She swept her eyes up and down his body, clearly checking him out—he looked damn fine in that uniform, after all.

"Ready to go?" Nathan asked as he held the door of the passenger seat open for her. Haley nodded her head and slid into the seat.

It was quite in the police cruiser; they had a relatively uneventful night. Haley was thankful for this, given what had happened the night before. She never wanted to have an experience like that ever again. That led her to thinking about how she was going to be worried about Nathan every time he left for his shifts. She took a deep breath and shook her head, pushing her fears to the back of her mind. She just had to believe that he would be okay. Nathan was good at his job. He would be safe. There was no other option.

Nathan pulled back into the police station once their shift was over. He clocked out while Haley waited by his SUV, and when he came back out, she saw that he had changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"Where are we headed?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," Nathan answered as he held the door to his truck for her open, just as he had done earlier that night. Haley slid into the seat and turned on the puppy dog pout, hitting Nathan with it full-force when he got into the truck.

"Can't you tell me? I'll act surprised when we get there. I promise," she pleaded.

"Oh, God," Nathan said. "Don't do that. Please don't give me that look."

"Why?" Haley continued to give him the puppy dog pout. "Is it working?"

Nathan resolutely looked away from her. "No."

Haley groaned and dropped her head to the head rest. "Come on! Luke and Brooke wouldn't tell me either!"

"They were doing their jobs, then," Nathan said with a smirk. "I wasn't going to tell Brooke to begin with, because I thought she was going to tell you. But she wouldn't leave me alone…" Nathan shuddered at the memory. "I had to tell her, just to get her to stop bugging me."

"Ah." Haley laughed. "You were the victim of a Brooke attack."

"Brooke attack," Nathan repeated. "That's very apt. And it appears that I've survived a Haley attack, as well."

"That was not a Haley attack."

"That so was. You can't be allowed to look at me like that ever again. God only knows what you'd be able to talk me into doing."

Haley grinned and looked out the window. She'd give him a break… for now. She'd have to hit him with another "Haley attack" later.

* * *

"Haley. Haley, wake up."

Haley yawned as she forced herself to open her eyes. Her face had been pressed against the cool window. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was now almost eleven in the morning. She scrubbed a hand over her face and tried to get the sleep out of her eyes.

"Ugh. How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost the entire car ride." Nathan checked his watch and then looked up with an affectionate and amused smile playing on his lips. "About four hours."

"Where are we?" They were parked out front of a hotel, but there weren't any real distinguishing features as to where they were.

"Charlotte," Nathan answered.

Haley's head jutted back in surprise. "Why?"

Now Nathan gave her a secretive little smirk. "You'll see later tonight."

"But—"

"Now come on." Nathan interrupted her by getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him. He walked around to her side and opened the door, offering Haley his hand. She took it with a slightly disgruntled look. "We should go and get something to eat."

As if on cue, Haley's stomach growled loudly. She glared down at her stomach and then threw the glare towards Nathan when he laughed. Why was he always right about these sort of things? She was starving!

They ate a pleasant breakfast and then went up to the room that Nathan had reserved for them so they could get some more sleep. He had chosen a room with two beds, giving her a sheepish look when they walked in and set their bags down. Haley thought it was the sweetest thing in the world—and then she had promptly pushed the two beds together while he had been in the bathroom.

When Nathan came out and saw Haley arranging the blankets so that they covered both beds, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Haley froze and blushed furiously. She hoped that she hadn't been too presumptuous. She had just sort of assumed, with everything that they had talked about, and everything that she felt between them…

"Um…" Haley stuttered. "I just kind of… I mean, I… I can move them back, if you want."

Finally, Nathan's face broke out in smile. He walked towards the bed and sat on the edge of it. "No, this is perfect," he said. "I just wanted to be sure that you were okay with it." He patted a spot on the bed next to him and then said something that made Haley laugh. "And I was just wondering what the maids were going to think."

* * *

They had slept most of the day away. Haley had woken up wrapped in Nathan's arms, and she couldn't help but think that she could definitely get used to that. When they finally did get up, they ordered room service for dinner. Then Nathan took a shower and banished Haley to the bathroom as soon as he was finished, telling her that she needed to get ready.

"Where are we going?" Haley tried again through the closed bathroom door.

"Not telling you!" Nathan replied.

"Come on, Nathan!" Haley pleaded. "Please?"

"Nope! Just get ready. You'll see when you come out!"

Haley groaned and then cursed Brooke for the hairstyle that she had chosen for her. Brooke had shoved a curling iron in Haley's bag and insisted that she curl her hair. And Haley was going to do it, since she had to (grudgingly) admit that it looked great with the outfit that Brooke had picked out for her. So getting ready was going to take a bit longer than she would have liked.

Haley dug through the duffle bag, looking for her case of toiletries. As she was searching, something black and lacy caught her eye. Suddenly feeling very afraid, Haley pulled the garment out of the bag.

Well, it wasn't exactly a garment. It was more like several scraps of lace sown together. It was lingerie. What, exactly, did Brooke expect her to do with that?  
Haley cursed loudly, which caused Nathan to knock on the bathroom door. "Is everything okay, Hales?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Haley called back, balling the lingerie up and shoving it back into the bag. Her cheeks were flushing a furious red even though Nathan couldn't see her or what she had been holding. "I'm fine!"

Haley continued to curse Brooke under her breath as she jumped into the shower, however. That girl was going to be the death of her one day.

* * *

**Author's Note: So you'll find out where Nathan is taking Haley in the next chapter. I promise it won't take me as long to update! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. :)**


	12. One Hundred Ninety Seven Hours

**Author's Note: Thanks for the amazing reviews. I hope that everyone had a great holiday and happy New Years, and that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"Wow, Haley. You look… you look amazing."

Haley blushed as she smoothed out her jacket. "Thanks. You don't look bad yourself, Officer Scott." He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweater that hugged his muscular chest and arms. That man wore a pair of jeans almost as well as he wore that police officer uniform.

Nathan just continued to stare at her, obviously checking her out. This time, Haley giggled as she tugged on his hand. "Will you tell me where we're going _now_?"

Nathan grinned and laced their fingers together. "Nope. Not yet." He proceeded to propel her out of their hotel room and down towards his car. Haley pouted after him, but he resolutely did not look at her as he opened the car door for her.

"Come on, Nathan!" Haley pleaded. "Please?"

Nathan just started up the car. "You'll see."

* * *

Wherever they were, it took them forever to find a parking space. It was crowded, people pushing by them as they got out of the car. Haley looked around, realized that they were at a concert center, and then looked towards the sign. When she read it, her eyes widened and she tightened her grip on Nathan's hand, a large grin splitting her face.

"Oh my God, Nathan! Are you serious?"

Nathan grinned at her in return. "No. I'm just messing with you."

"Nathan!"

"Of course I'm serious. Come on, we have to go find our seats."

Haley was beaming at him as they walked towards the entrance of the concert center. "How did you already get the tickets? How did you know?"

"I have my ways," Nathan said. "And Lucas told me that she was your favorite. I thought that this would be nice."

Nathan had somehow managed to swing tickets to the Sheryl Crow concert in Charlotte. Ever since Haley had heard about the concert, she had been trying to get tickets. She had stayed up all night trying to bid for them, but they were sold out. Nathan was quickly shaping up to be the best boyfriend ever if he had managed to get these tickets.

Nathan pulled the tickets out of his pocket and handed them to her, a charming smirk on his face. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

* * *

The concert the night before had been amazing. They had returned to their hotel room early in the morning, slept in late, and then began the trip back to Tree Hill. It was long, but they stopped often for breaks and food.

As they were driving back into Tree Hill, Haley had an idea. Nathan had done something so incredibly amazing for her—now, she wanted to do something for him. When she had first met him, he seemed so broken. So lonely. Now, she got to see him smile and laugh and joke around. But Haley knew that he wasn't fully healed. He might not be for a long time, but she wanted to do something to help him.

Haley put a hand on his arm. "Turn left here."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just trust me." Haley gave him a reassuring smile, and Nathan nodded his head before turning. He listened to Haley's directions before finally pulling up next to the river. Haley grinned as she got out of the car. It had been a long time since she had been here, but it hadn't changed at all.

"Where are we?" Nathan asked. He looked around but froze when he saw the basketball court that sat next to the river. Haley took his hand and tugged him towards the court.

"The Rivercourt," Haley answered. "Lucas and I used to come here all of the time with our other friends when we were kids." She smiled, thinking of all of the good memories they had had here. "If I'm right, there should be…" Trailing off, she made her way over to the cluster of bushes at one of the corners of the court. She searched through the leaves before finally finding an old orange basketball. She bounced it on the blacktop but accidental dropped it. Despite himself, Nathan cracked a smile.

"Some things never change," Haley said. "I still suck with a basketball. But I'm sure that you don't." She threw it to him, and Nathan caught it on reflex. He stared down at the orange ball in his hands and Haley walked up to him, putting her hands over his.

"Why don't you play a little bit?" she suggested.

Nathan finally looked up at her. "I don't know," he said. "It's been a while."

Haley grinned. "Like I said before, I suck at basketball. This could have been the first time that you've ever played, and you'd still probably be better than me. Come on." Haley backed up until she was standing under the net.

"You'll get a little prize if you beat me," Haley encouraged.

Nathan bounced the ball once as he stepped closer to Haley; it felt like he had never stopped. "Oh really?"

"Really."

"What prize would that be?"

Haley smirked and stole the ball right out of his hands. Nathan hadn't had a very good grip on it to begin with; otherwise, she never would have been able to get it from him. "Play me and find out, Officer Scott."

Despite the three years or so since Nathan had played, he quickly fell back into the old rhythm of the game. Even though Haley had been best friend with Lucas for years, she still didn't know the finer points of basketball.

"Here you go, Hales," Nathan said as he tossed the basketball to her.

Haley stared down at it. "What am I… Oh. It's so I can make one of those free shots, right?"

Nathan laughed. "Free throws, Haley. Free throws."

"Oh. Whatever." She stood and looked over her shoulder at him. "Just don't… laugh."

Nathan held back a chuckle. It didn't escape him that Haley wasn't exactly the greatest at basketball, but she was definitely giving it a good try. "Why would I laugh?"

Haley didn't answer… well, she didn't answer him verbally. Instead, she squatted and threw the ball up, watching with some satisfaction as it went into the net. That feeling quickly disappeared when she heard Nathan burst into laughter, however.

"It's not funny!" Haley exclaimed.

Nathan was doubled over, he was laughing so hard. It appeared that he couldn't contain his mirth. "Oh, Haley. But it is funny. It's so very, very funny. I can't believe that Luke never taught you how to shoot a basketball!"

"He tried," Haley said, quickly coming to her best friend's defense. "But when we both figured out that I couldn't get the hang of it… he taught me granny style."

Nathan smirked and took a clean shot. The orange ball swished through the net neatly, and Haley couldn't help but be impressed. She never had the love for basketball that her best friend had, but she had an appreciation for it. And watching Nathan play and enjoy himself made her appreciate the game even more.

Nathan caught the basketball as it bounced back towards them. He walked towards Haley but stopped a few steps short of her. He wanted her to meet him halfway, and she didn't disappoint. She looked up at him with her large doe eyes, a smile on her lips.

Nathan returned the grin. "Thank for taking me here, Haley."

Haley nodded her head, seeming to know that Nathan wasn't finished speaking yet. They had only known each for a week, but they had both helped the other open up so much. Neither was sure when they had gotten under each other's defenses, but—somehow—they had managed to do it.

Nathan cleared his throat and studied the basketball in his hands before looking back down to Haley. "I may not have known it… but I needed this. So… thank you."

Haley nodded her head again. The next thing she knew, Nathan had dropped the basketball and hauled her against him, bringing his mouth down to cover hers.

Nathan had loved how Haley instantly melted against him. That didn't mean that she didn't hold her own; she certainly did. She was straining on her tiptoes in an effort to get closer to him, and Nathan solved that problem by lifting her up and holding her against him.

When air became too much of an issue, they broke apart. Nathan didn't make any move to put Haley down, and she didn't ask him to. She waited until she caught her breath before speaking again.

"Nathan," she said breathlessly, her arms still wrapped around her neck. "I don't want this night to end."

"Neither do I," Nathan admitted. "So… do you want to go back to my place?"

Haley smiled. "Yes," she responded.

Nathan finally set her down and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. Together, they walked back to his truck and on to the next part of their day together.

* * *

**Author's Note: Just a heads up: I have this story rated as 'M.' There hasn't really been a reason for that yet, but you can all pretty much expect an M-rated scene next chapter. At any rate, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. If you want, I can go more into their date with some flashbacks later on in the story. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Two Hundred Twenty Three Hours

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long! Life has been pretty crazy, but I had a sudden surge of inspiration and wanted to write a new chapter for this story. WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M. Thanks for reading, and I hope that you all like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

Haley found herself staring at the picture of Nathan and Lucas's broken family once again. So many horrible things had happened to his family and it just didn't seem fair. All Haley wanted was to make him happy again.

She felt Nathan's arms wrap around her waist from behind. Looking over her shoulder, Haley saw that Nathan was looking at the picture before he looked down at her.

"Nathan…" Haley said quietly.

Nathan shook his head and led her over to his bed, where he sat down. Haley sat down next to him, taking one of his hands in both of hers. He looked down at their hands before he looked up at her.

"His name is Jake," he finally said quietly. "My brother. I'm sure that Luke has told you."

Haley didn't say yes or no. She just squeezed his hand comfortingly between hers and then gave him a smile when he covered her hand with his free one. He had that look in his eyes again… the one he had at the Rivercourt, right before he kissed her. Butterflies immediately appeared in her stomach as he lifted one hand and slid it around the back of her neck. After another pause, Nathan pulled Haley forward, covering her mouth with his.

Haley let go of Nathan's hand so that she could wind her arms around his neck. She shifted closer to him, but no matter what she did, it wasn't near enough. Nathan solved that problem for her by easily hauling her into his lap so that she was sitting sideways.

His tongue teased her lips open, one hand threading into her hair. Haley wasn't exactly comfortable twisting around so that she could kiss him, so she managed to turn on his lap without too much difficulty. She ended up straddling Nathan, allowing him to bring a hand down to the small of her back so he could press her closer.

Nathan took his lips from Haley's only to reattach them to her neck. He found her pulse point, nibbling on the skin there before smoothing it over with his tongue. He sucked on the patch of skin after, and Haley's head fell back. Her fingers had been knotted in the hair at the nape of his neck, but it was impossible not to keep from touching him. Over his t-shirt, Haley's hands moved over the strong muscles of his arms and back as his lips continued a burning trail over her neck and back up to her jaw.

His lips sought hers again, and as they kissed, Haley slid her hands under Nathan's t-shirt. Her fingers ghosted over rippling muscles, and Nathan groaned a little against her mouth. She could feel his hardness against her, and she ground her hips into his a little bit. He slipped his own hand under her shirt, his warm palm and calloused fingers wreaking havoc all over the skin of her back. His hand kept moving up until it brushed the clasp of her bra. Finally, Nathan pulled away from her, leaving Haley gasping for breath.

"Hales," Nathan murmured, the nickname falling easily from his lips. "I don't… I don't want to make you do anything that you're not…" He kissed her softly before pulling back and searching her eyes. Finally, after a long moment, he said, "If I don't stop soon, I won't be able to." His lips tilted up then. "You have that much of an effect on me, Haley James."

Haley smiled as she rested her forehead against his. "Well it's a good thing that you have that much of an effect on me too, Nathan Scott. I want to."

Nathan's eyes grew wide, his hips jerking up a little bit under her at her words. Haley giggled a little as she leaned forward, pressing kisses to the side of his face before she reached his ear. She took his earlobe between her teeth, tugging gently.

"I want to," she repeated in his ear. Haley's hands grasped the hem of Nathan's shirt and tugged. Getting the hint, Nathan let her pull it up and over his head. She took a moment to appreciate the magnificent upper body of the man beneath her before she kissed him again.

Haley had no idea where this confidence was coming from. She had only ever slept with one guy before, and that had been in her sophomore year of college. He had been her boyfriend since freshman year. The relationship hadn't lasted, and Haley hadn't been in another one long enough for it to get sexual. Something about Nathan just made her brave.

They kissed for a few minutes before both of Nathan's hands slipped under her shirt. He traced little patterns on her back before pulling her shirt over her head. His eyes darkened at the black lacy bra she was wearing, his fingers spreading over the back of it as he pulled her to him again. He distracted her with his mouth, so when Haley felt his large hand cup her breast, she moaned, arching into his hand.

The thin material of her bra didn't do a lot to hide the way her nipple pebbled under the thumb Nathan brushed over it. She arched into his hand as he trailed his kisses down to her collar bone. Haley's hands continued to move over his back as Nathan pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss above the line of her bra.

With one hand, Nathan expertly unclasped her bra. He slowly pushed the straps off of her shoulders before removing it completely. He stared at Haley for so long that she started to blush, from her cheeks all the way down her body. Before she could say anything or cover herself because she was suddenly embarrassed, Nathan spoke.

"Haley…" he whispered. His eyes lifted to hers. "You're beautiful."

His statement only caused Haley's blush to intensify, but in a good way. He was looking at her with such reverence, as if she really was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Nathan leaned forward and kissed Haley softly once, twice, three times. He trailed his kisses down her jaw and down her neck, stopping to nibble and then sooth over his tongue. His mouth continued downwards as Haley's grip tightened on his shoulder. His mouth closed around her nipple at the same time as one of his hands came up to cup her other breast. Haley gasped, her fingers leaving Nathan's shoulder to lock in his hair instead.

He kissed his way over to her other breast, his mouth closing on that nipple as his other hand came up to fondle the opposite breast. Before Haley could realize what happened, Nathan flipped them over on the bed. He kissed his way down her stomach and it was all Haley could do to breathe as she fisted the sheets in her hands.

Nathan's fingers paused on the button of her jeans, and he looked up at her. Biting down her bottom lip—she honestly feared that she might explode if Nathan didn't do something about it and _fast_—she nodded her head. The slow burn that had built in her stomach when they first started kissing was now nearly a burning inferno. No one had ever made her feel like this before. His touch set her on fire, and he was the only one that could put it out.

With a flick of his wrist, he unbuttoned her jeans and slowly began to pull them down her legs. Nathan deposited them on the floor next to the bed before he grabbed one of her feet. He pressed a kiss to the arch of her foot and then her ankle, moving up her leg. When he reached her hip, he pressed a lingering kiss there and then his tongue traced the top of her underwear.

"Nathan," Haley suddenly gasped. He looked up at her, staying perfectly still. He waited for her to speak, and it was the look in his eyes that gave her the courage she needed. "I… It's been a while since I've done this. Just… please be gentle."

"Haley," Nathan said. He climbed back up so that he was lying next to her. His hand cupped her face, his thumb rubbing along her cheek. Leaning forward, he kissed her tenderly and Haley felt it all the way to her toes. Then Nathan pulled away and sat back, rolling over onto his back and looking at her.

"Nathan?" Haley questioned, her brow furrowing.

He reached for her hand, tugging her towards him. He pulled her down for another kiss. "We'll go as slow or as fast as you want to," he mumbled against her lips. "But you set the pace. We'll only do what you're comfortable with."

Haley stared at him with wide eyes. How had she managed to find a guy that was so perfect? He was willing to go as slow as she wanted to. The thought alone made her want to jump him then and there. With only a few words, he had made her feel so comfortable.

Nathan laid back and watched Haley, waiting to see what she would do next. Biting her lip once again, Haley crawled up Nathan's body and pressed her naked chest to his as she kissed him. She kissed his neck, grinning as she sucked on his skin. She was positive that he had given her at least three hickeys. It was the least she could do to return the favor.

Haley returned her mouth to his, straddling his lap and pulling him up to meet her. Her hands went down to his belt, tugging on that until it was free. Then she got to work on his pants. True to his word, Nathan still didn't move other than to kiss her when she had his jeans unbuttoned. So she pushed him back once again and tugged on his jeans until they were all the way off. Feeling a little braver, she tugged his boxers off at the same time.

She gently dragged her fingers down his length. She heard him inhale sharply, so she did it again before closing her fist around it. His hips jerked up into her hand, but he forced himself to be still. Haley looked up at him.

"It's okay, you know," she said. "If you want to…" Haley looked down at his hips, and Nathan swallowed hard before nodding his head. She moved her hand again, and Nathan suddenly reached down and grabbed her wrist.

"I'm not going to last much longer if you keep doing that," he said huskily.

"Oh." Haley bit her lip before she slung her leg over his hips. She leaned down and kissed him, quickly becoming frustrated when he didn't touch her. Taking matters into her own hands, she grabbed his hand and guided it to her breast. She was glad when Nathan got the hint and started massaging her breast. She moaned, grinding her hips into his.

"Nathan," she moaned again. She guided his hands down to her hips and to the band of her underwear. She lifted her hips as he pulled them off, but she didn't let his hand go. Instead, she placed it between her legs.

"Touch me here," she whispered, her cheeks flushing a little bit. "Please."

Nathan actually smirked before he slid his hand between her legs, through her wet folds. Haley gasped and then cried out when he slid a finger into her. Her hips bucked in time with his pumping hand, and when his thumb pressed down on her sensitive numb, she came.

Breathing hard, she leaned down to kiss Nathan. She could feel him hard against her thigh and she pulled back, giving him a questioning look. Knowing what she wanted, Nathan reached into his bedside table and pulled out a condom. He handed it to her, wrapper and all.

Haley pulled the wrapper open with shaking fingers. She bit her bottom lip as she sheathed him with the condom before she raised her hips, positioning herself over him. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she sank down on him. They both groaned as Haley's hips stilled, getting used to the feel of him stretching her in the most delicious way possible.

After a moment, Haley raised her hips again. She put Nathan's hands on her hips and encouraged him to help lift her up. They found their rhythm, breaking the silence with load moans and gasps interspersed with the chanting of each other's names.

It wasn't long before Haley was going over the edge again. Nathan followed her right over and she collapsed on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he pulled a blanket over their naked bodies.

* * *

Haley woke some time later to the feel of fingers tracing over her tattoo. A moment later, she felt lips on said tattoo. She smiled and looked over her shoulder to see Nathan grinning down at her.

"Morning, sleepy head," he said.

Haley stretched, noting how Nathan watched her appreciatively. "Morning," she said around a yawn. He leaned forward and kissed her bare shoulder, pulling her into his arms again. Haley rested her head on his chest over his beating heart when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Nathan," she said quietly. "Did you ever get tested for HCM?"

Nathan tensed under her, and Haley started tracing her fingers on his chest. It was a long time before he relaxed and even longer before he answered her.

"Yeah," he finally said. "It was a fifty-fifty chance. Lucas had it. I didn't."

"Then why did you stop playing? You were amazing last night, Nathan. I can tell that you love it."

Nathan shrugged his shoulders. "A lot of reasons, I suppose. Luke couldn't play anymore. It had always been me and him, you know? Even when we didn't leave with each other anymore. Basketball had always been our thing. It had been hard to play it after Jake… after Jake died, but we managed. When Luke couldn't play, it just didn't seem fair. Jake couldn't Luke, couldn't, but why could I? What made me so special?"

Haley continued to smooth her hands over his chest, trying to offer him comfort. Finally, she said, "Nathan, I can't tell you why you're the only one who can still play basketball. It's… it's just the way life works sometimes, I guess. I don't know why I'm the only one in my family with any musical ability. I don't know why my older sister is the only one who's the only one who is a champion swimmer. My brother is a fantastic artist." Haley dropped a kiss to his chest. "It doesn't mean that it's fair or that it's okay." She traced a heart over his heart. "I just wish that you would realize that you don't have to punish yourself because of what happened to them."

Nathan's arms tightened around Haley. After a long moment, she heard him speak, his voice just above a whisper. "Jake died on the bridge."

Haley sat up and stared down at Nathan in shock. "What?"

"Thirteen years ago." Nathan's eyes closed tightly. "That girl who got her shoes stuck in the track? That was Peyton. And when Jake went back to get her…"

"Oh. Oh my God." Haley pressed a hand to her mouth. Now she understood why Nathan was so obsessed with that bridge. "Nathan. I'm so sorry."

He finally opened his eyes and looked down at her. He gently pulled her forward, pressing his lips to hers. Then he wrapped her in his arms and held on tight. She held him right back.

* * *

**Author's Note: So there was nice, long-ish chapter for you guys. It had some fluff and some angst. I hope that you all liked it!**


	14. Two Hundred Thirty Five Hours

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I appreciate the reviews from last chapter. This story is coming to a close. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

* * *

"You little slut. You totally had sex!"

Haley groaned when Brooke's voice greeted her as she reentered the apartment. She really hoped that Lucas wasn't there, because she so didn't need him to hear about what amazing sex she had with his brother.

"Brooke…"

"And you said that you would never have sex on the first date." Brooke smirked at her. "Not to mention, you've only known him for a week!"

"It's been more than a week," Haley grumbled.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Okay, so like, nine days. So how was it?"

"Brooke!"

"Come on. You know that I'm going to keep asking until you tell me. And if you don't answer me now, I won't be afraid to ask in front of Lucas…"

"Ugh, fine." Haley bit her lip as she blushed fiercely. Finally, she said, "It was amazing."

Brooke whistled loudly. "It must be a Scott thing. I'm telling you, Lucas—"

"Ew!" Haley held her hands up as she backed into the kitchen, intent on finding something to eat. It was nearly lunchtime. After breakfast, Nathan had worked up quite the appetite in her… three times. "There are things that I really don't need to know, and what Lucas does in bed is one of them."

Brooke smirked again before she walked up to Haley and hugged her tightly. "I'm happy for you, Hales. It seems like you really love Nathan."

"Love?" Haley eyes widened. "What do you mean, love?"

"Please, you're one of my best friends. I know you. I'd say that you're falling in love with Nathan Scott."

* * *

"Well well well. It's nice to see you three in here at a normal hour."

Lucas grinned at his aunt as she set down a plate overflowing with food in front of him. "Blame your other nephew, Aunt Karen. He's the one who had us working the night shifts."

Karen ruffled Lucas's hair affectionately. "How have things been between the two of you lately?"

Lucas looked at Brooke and then at Haley before he smiled. "Better," he said. "They've been… better. We're getting there."

Karen nodded her head approvingly. "And you, little missy." She rounded on Haley, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. "I heard that you went on a date with Nathan two nights ago."

Haley blushed while Brooke sniggered. Even Lucas chuckled and tried to hide it behind his napkin. She rolled her eyes at her two best friends; they were lucky that she loved them so much. And did everyone in this town know about her date with Nathan? What happened to privacy?

"Yes, I did go on a date with Nathan. Yes, it was very nice. And no, I won't tell you more about it," Haley said firmly.

"Fine. I'll just ask Nathan when he stops by after his shift. I'm sure if I threaten to withhold the pie, he'll come around and tell me all about it."

Haley laughed as Keith came by and greeted his wife with a kiss. Karen was busy talking to Brooke and Lucas about their plans for their upcoming engagement party. Haley got Keith's attention, and he bent to talk to her.

"Hey, Keith," she greeted.

"Miss James. What can I do for you?" Keith said in return.

Haley bit her lip before she said, "Can you tell me if my father has been in here?"

Keith gave her a sad look before he slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Haley. He hasn't been here since I talked to him last week."

Haley felt incredibly saddened and angry at the same time. She understood that the death of her mother hit hard; it had done the same to her. But this was ridiculous. He had to live his life. He had to at least leave the house. That's all she was asking for.

"I'll try talking to him again," Keith offered. "I'll bring Karen with me. She'll make some of his favorite cake, and we'll see if that can entice him out."

Haley gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She nodded her head but didn't really react when he squeezed her shoulder. Something had to change with this.

* * *

Haley was lying on Nathan's chest, tracing small patterns on his bare skin. This was pretty much the last night that he was agreeing to let her come over after his shift. She really needed to get back onto a normal sleeping schedule. Until Nathan got a better shift, however, she wouldn't really be able to see him during normal hours.

"What's wrong, Hales?" Nathan asked as he combed his fingers through her hair. Ever since she had gotten him to open up, he had been much more affectionate with her. He was always finding some way to touch her, and she certainly smiled a lot more.

And he had this unnerving ability to read her with startling accuracy. He had been asking her what was wrong since she had come through the front door of his apartment several hours ago. She had managed to keep him distracted, but that apparently wasn't going to work anymore.

She gave it one attempt by just ignoring him and snuggling further into his embrace and pretending that she was asleep. Nathan knew her too well, though. The hand that wasn't tangled in her hair gently tickled her side.

"I know that you're awake, Haley. Come on. Please tell me what's wrong."

Haley sighed before turning just enough in his arms to look up at him. "It's my dad," she mumbled.

Nathan nodded his head and waited silently for her to continue. They had never really talked about her family much. And he hadn't really wanted to push her on the subject, since she hadn't pushed it with him. Now he was hoping that she would open up to him.

Haley cleared her throat. "When my mom died, my dad took it really hard. He hasn't left the house." She shook her head. "It's been three months. I know that that's not a lot of time, but he's not even trying, Nathan." She could feel tears burning in her eyes, but she blinked hard in her attempt not to let them fall. "I'm not asking for him to move on, because I certainly haven't. All I want is for him to try." Despite her best efforts, a tear trickled down her cheek. "It's like he's not even my dad anymore."

"Oh, baby." Nathan tightened his arms around her and smoothed his hands over her hair and the smooth expanse of her back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He let her cry into his chest for a little while. Eventually, her tears subsided and she lay with her ear over his heart, being lulled into comfort by the thumping under her ear. She sniffled before she leaned up to kiss him.

Nathan brushed his thumbs under her eyes when they broke apart. "We make quite a pair, don't we?"

Haley gave a watery laugh as she nodded her head. She knew exactly what he meant. They both had devastating losses that had nearly torn their family apart. In fact, it did tear Nathan's family apart. Because of his older brother's death, his entire family fell to pieces. He hadn't heard from his mother in over ten years. His father had become secluded, and Nathan hardly talked to him anymore. And this was the first time in nearly four years that he had had contact with this twin brother.

He wouldn't let that happen to Haley's family. He had to do something to help her. And he had an idea.

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**Author's Note: Thanks for reading. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	15. Two Hundred Eighty Three Hours

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

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Nathan knocked on the door in front of him. He waited patiently and shoved his hands into his pockets. Minutes passed, and the door still hadn't opened. Nathan knocked on the door again, and then once more just to be sure. With a sigh, he dug his keys out of his pocket and found the little tool on the chain.

He easily picked the lock and pushed the door to the house open. He stepped in and followed the sound of the television into the living room. Nathan frowned at what he saw, shaking his head at the mess.

There were beer bottles everywhere, and empty pizza boxes littered the floor. The TV was on but the reception was fuzzy. And, slumped over in the arm chair in front of the device, was Jimmy James. He was half asleep. It looked like he hadn't shaved in at least a week, and he was in a need of a good haircut, too.

Nathan touched his shoulder, shaking gently. "Mr. James?" Jimmy's eyes cracked open to look towards him, and he sighed again. "I'm Nathan Scott. I'm your daughter's…" He stopped talking abruptly. Well, they had never really specified what they were, did they. Oh well. "I'm a friend of Haley's."

"Haley," Jimmy repeated.

"Yes, Haley. Look, I think you should go take a shower. Maybe we can get you something to eat, then. We could stop by the café. Karen and Keith would be happy to see you."

"No." Jimmy turned away from him and closed his eyes. "Sleep."

It hadn't even been five minutes, and Nathan was already beyond fed up with this. He hauled the older man up and dragged him up the stairs and into the bathroom. Turning the cold water on, Nathan dumped Jimmy in the shower.

He waited fifteen minutes, going out into the hallway to inspect the pictures that lined the walls. He smiled when he recognized a young Haley in many of them. When enough time had passed, he went back into the bathroom, pleased to see that Jimmy was actually standing.

"It nice to see you up and about, Mr. James," he said. "How are you feeling?"

Jimmy just stared at him for a moment, still in his dripping wet clothes. "Nathan Scott," he said. "You always come in the middle of the night and get some pie."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at the random change of subject. He answered anyway. "Yup, that's me."

Jimmy's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

Nathan pulled a towel off the rack and handed it to him. "I'm here to talk to you, actually. So if you want to dry off and get changed, that would be great."

He went back downstairs and hoped that Jimmy would eventually get dressed and meet him down there. Sure enough, five minutes later, he did. He met Nathan in the kitchen, and he pushed a plate of plain toast in front of the older man.

"What did you want to talk about, Officer Scott?" Jimmy asked.

"Call me Nathan," he said.

"Fine. Nathan. What did you want to talk about?"

"Mr. James, how many children do you have?" Jimmy's brow furrowed as he contemplated the younger man's question. "Just answer the question."

"Six."

Nathan nodded his head. "And how often do you talk to them?"

Jimmy blinked before realization sort of dawned on his face. "Nathan."

"No, Mr. James. When was the last time you were at the Café?"

Jimmy looked away, running a hand through his unkempt hair. He pushed at his uneaten toast around the plate, a look of guilt on his face. Nathan just sat by and waited for him to say something. He only asked three questions, but he felt as if he had gotten his point across.

Finally, Jimmy looked up at him. "What has she said to you?"

"Who?"

"Haley." At the look of surprise on Nathan's face, Jimmy explained, "Keith mentioned that Haley was hanging around with some police officer. I'm assuming that it was you."

Nathan snorted. "Well, it wasn't exactly hanging out in the beginning, but… yes. I have been talking to Haley a lot." Nathan figured that there was no reason to mention that he had also entered into a relationship with his daughter. At least, not yet. One step at a time.

"And what has she said?"

Nathan lifted a shoulder. "Why don't you ask her?" When Jimmy looked away, Nathan sighed. "Look, Mr. James. When we lost my older brother, my family fell apart. My parents divorced. I moved away with my dad, and my twin brother stayed with my mom. My dad was withdrawn and quiet, and my mother disappeared. I know what it's like to lose someone, but I don't want your family to end up like mine. Talk to your kids."

Jimmy continued to look down at the counter. Nathan sighed once again and shook his head before he dug around in his pockets for his keys. "We'll all be at the Café tonight," he said. "You're more than welcome to come."

* * *

"Haley, come on. Where are you taking me?"

Haley giggled. "Come on, Nathan. You don't like surprises?"

Nathan made a face in the passenger seat of her car. "Not really, no."

"Well, I'm sure you'll survive." She patted his hand as she made a turn down a familiar road. "You know, given all the times you've come here, I'm surprised that you don't recognize where we are yet."

"I wasn't paying attention." But at Haley's words, Nathan sat up a little straighter and looked out the window, really paying attention to his surroundings. He almost immediately recognized where they were going. "Haley…"

"Just hear me out, Nathan." She drove down another street before she pulled up to the bridge. She turned the car off and got out, waiting patiently for Nathan to join her. When he finally did, Haley grabbed his hand and took him over to the lip of the bridge.

"Haley…" Nathan said again. He stopped his in his tracks and threw all his weight back, preventing Haley from moving forward any further.

"Relax, Nathan. I'm not trying to take you on the bridge. I just want to show you something." With her free hand, she pointed up at one of the polls that ran perpendicular to the fence lining the tracks. "Tell me what you see at the top of the poll."

Nathan's eyes squinted as he tilted his head up and looked towards the top of the pole. He was silent for a few moments, but Haley knew that he had seen it. His hand tightened around hers, and he pulled her closer to him.

Finally, he spoke. "Is that… is that a camera?"

Haley tried to keep the wide grin off of her face. "Yup. We were supposed to come up with a way to better the community. This was my idea." Turning towards Nathan, Haley took one of his large hands between both of hers. "This way, you don't have to drive by here every night. Someone at the station will always be watching. They'll be able to keep hooligans like me away."

"Haley, you never did tell me why you went onto the bridge that night," Nathan said quietly.

Haley sighed and pursed her lips together as she looked out towards the middle of the bridge. "Back before my mom died, she had talked about how she wanted to watch the sunset on that bridge. She never got the chance to, so I figured I could do it for her." She squeezed Nathan's hand tighter between her own. "It was stupid, I know. And I hadn't realized that a train was coming. If you had been just a few minutes later…" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "You saved my life that night."

Nathan stared down at her, completely speechless. Finally, he tugged her close and kissed her long and deep, hands cupping her face and thumbs rubbing her cheeks tenderly. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Haley, this is amazing," he finally whispered. "I just… I can't…" He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He felt his heart swelling in his chest with that feeling he got whenever he was around Haley. When he opened his eyes again, he smiled. "I love you, Haley."

Haley's eyes widened before she beamed at him. She surged up on her tiptoes and kissed him again. When she pulled away, she breathlessly proclaimed, "I love you, too."

* * *

"I'd just like to make a toast to both of the happy couples. Nathan and Haley, I'm glad that the two of you managed to find each other. Lucas and Brooke… well, something tells me that you're going to take the wedding industry by storm."

Haley, Nathan, and Lucas all laughed at Keith's toast. Brooke, on the other hand, just lifted her chin and gave them all a haughty look. "I'll have you know that my wedding is going to be the best ever," she announced.

"Aw." Karen hugged the young woman. "I'm sure it will be, Brooke."

They were at the Café to celebrate the end of Lucas, Brooke, and Haley's punishment, along with the engagement of Lucas and Brooke. Nathan had his arms wrapped securely around Haley, and he hadn't let her go since they came back from the bridge. He had always found some way to touch her. He had even convinced her to disappear into the back of the kitchen for a quick make out session.

"Well Haley, I wasn't even going to ask because you should already know, but Luke said I should stick the formalities or whatever. So will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course, I will, Brookie," Haley said with a laugh.

Lucas chuckled and turned to his twin brother. "Now that that's out of the way, do you think you'd be up for being my best man?"

Nathan grinned at his brother. Over the past week, they had definitely started getting closer to each other, and they were on their way back to becoming the brothers they used to be. "Sure thing, Luke," he said.

Haley smiled before she pulled Nathan off to the side. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out what looked to be a business card. She opened Nathan's hand and pressed it into his palm.

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her before he looked down. "Fortitude." The name on the card read Clay Evans. "Haley, what is this?"

"My brother in law owns a sports agency," Haley explained. "And he's looking for new athletes. I was thinking that you might want to check it out."

"Haley…" Nathan kissed her forehead. "I really appreciate this. But I can't just leave the station. And it would take me months to train again. I'm nowhere near the physical shape I need to be in to be scouted."

Haley kissed Nathan to stop his rambling. "Just think about it, okay?"

Nathan nodded his head slowly. "Okay," he said doubtfully. But Haley didn't miss the way he carefully tucked the card into his pocket.

They made their way back out towards everyone, and they immediately noticed that their little party had fallen almost completely quiet. Holding Nathan's hand just a little bit tighter, she stopped by Karen and Keith.

"Guys, what's going on?' she asked.

They were all looking towards the door, and Haley followed their gaze. She almost fell over when she saw her father standing in the doorway of the Café.

Holding Nathan's hand even more tightly, Haley took a step forward. "Dad?"

Jimmy gave his daughter a timid smile. "Hello, Haley."

"Dad… what are you doing here?"

Haley saw Jimmy's eyes go to Nathan for a brief second. Unbeknownst to Haley, Nathan nodded his head slightly. With a determined look on his face, he said, "I was wondering if we could talk."

Haley was completely taken aback by her father's request. She stared at him with wide eyes before she finally nodded her head. Nathan pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Go talk to him, baby," he said. "I'll be right here."

Haley beamed at him once again. She seemed to already have known what he had done. "Thank you, Nathan. I love you."

He pressed a light kiss to her lips, pushing her towards her father. "I love you too, Haley."

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**Author's Note: There's only the epilogue after this. Thanks for sticking with this story, and I hope that you all enjoyed this past chapter!**


	16. A Lifetime Together

**Author's Note: I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this story, put it on your favorite and alert lists, and stuck with it. I'm glad that you all enjoyed it! Without further ado, here's the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

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**Six Years Later**

"Jake! Jamie! Get your butts back here!"

Cradling her small daughter in her arms, Haley couldn't help but laugh as her husband ran after their rambunctious five year old twin boys. He might have been the star of the Charlotte Bobcats, but those kids could always run just a little bit faster than he could.

Nathan finally caught the boys and tackled them to the ground. They giggled and shrieked as they play-wrestled with each other. After watching them for a moment, Haley stood up and called out to them.

"Come on, boys!" she said. "Time to wash up! Everyone will be over soon!"

James Lucas Scott and Jake Cooper Scott raced past their mother and into the house. Nathan stopped next to Haley on his way in and wrapped an arm around her before behind to press a kiss to little Lydia Peyton Scott's head. The six-month old baby gurgled and clapped her hands together, smiling at her daddy. Nathan smiled back before he pressed a gentle kiss to Haley's lips.

"You and Luke set a bad example, you know," Haley said with a smile. "If you two didn't run around playing tricks on each other, then Jamie and Jake wouldn't do the same to you."

"They're just too smart for their own good," Nathan grumbled. His forehead was still smarting as a result of the booby trap he had run into, courtesy of his sons. "And I blame their mother for that, so I say that we're even." He leaned down to kiss her again, this time lingering against her lips. Haley let him for a few moments before she pushed him away, giggling.

"You better start the grill up," she said. "Brooke, Luke, and the kids will be here any minute. Not to mention Keith and Karen."

Nathan saluted Haley. "Yes ma'am!" he said with a playful wink.

Even after six years of being married, Haley was still sometimes caught off guard by how easily Nathan smiled now. Being with Haley had helped a lot; the same could be said when he got the call for the NBA. But something had happened when the twins had been born. It was like Nathan had finally released every bit of guilt and anger he had been feeling since his brother's death and his parents' abandonment. The recent birth of their little girl had only increased that happiness.

Just as Haley stepped into the house, the front door opened and a little brunette person zoomed towards her legs. Haley laughed and patted the little boys' head.

"Hello Davis," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm great, Aunt Haley!" four year old Davis Keith Scott exclaimed. "Super great!" He ran off then to find his uncle, leaving Haley to laugh after the little ball of boundless energy.

"What do you feed that child?" Haley asked as she greeted her brother-in-law/best friend with a kiss on the cheek.

Lucas chuckled and shifted the little blonde girl in his arms while he said, "The same thing you feed your sons, Hales."

"It has nothing to do with what they eat," Brooke said. She held her arms out, and Haley passed Lydia to her. "It's those damn Scott genes. Let's hope our girls are much quieter."

"Oh please," Lucas said with a roll of his eyes. "Annie already sounds just like you." He tickled little Annie Karen's stomach and she giggled loudly in response.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Brooke said. She moved towards the kitchen table and sat down, gently bouncing her niece on her lap. "How's your dad, Haley?"

Haley grinned and started taking the side dishes she had already prepared out of the fridge. "He's good," she said. "He'll be back to visit Lydia soon, so I'll let you know when he stops by."

Ever since the night Nathan had talked to him, Jimmy had made much more of an effort to get better. It had taken a little while and a lot of healing, but he had gotten there eventually. Not long after the twins had been born, Jimmy decided to take the time to visit the rest of his kids. Then he sold the house, bought an RV and toured the country, going to all of the places that he and Lydia had talked about going to before. Jimmy missed his wife every day, but she lived on in his children and grandchildren.

"Hales," Nathan came back into the kitchen and was followed by a yelling Jamie, Jake, and Davis. They ran straight through the kitchen, leaving Brooke to yell after them to be careful. Nathan wrapped his arms around his wife and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "The grill is all warmed up, so it's ready whenever you are."

"Ugh," Brooke teased. "Please get that away from my food."

"Very funny, Brooke," Haley said just as the front door opened. Karen and Keith came in, each of them carrying a dessert of some sort. They set them on the counter and greeted the four adults.

"Is that the grill I smell?" Keith said. "I'll take over if you don't mind, Nathan."

Nathan smirked and handed the spatula and platter with the burgers and hotdogs on it to his uncle. "I actually don't mind," he said. "I have to ask Haley something, anyway."

Thankfully, no one said much of anything as Nathan took Haley's hand and towed her to the back of the house. He pulled her into the little greenhouse they had off the side of the house and shut the door behind them, pressing Haley up against it.

"Nathan," Haley said with a giggle as his lips came down on her neck.

"Hmm?" Nathan murmured as he began to suck on her pulse point.

"We are not having sex when the rest of our family is here for a cookout." Despite her words, Haley tilted her head back to give her husband better access to her neck. She felt Nathan smirk before he pulled back a little, his blue eyes dark.

"No one said anything about sex." He reached down and hitched her leg up against his hip. "But if you want to, I'm certainly not complaining."

Haley slid her fingers into Nathan's hair and tugged him down to kiss her. His tongue slid into her mouth and he pressed her closer to him, his hands on her hips. They kissed deeply for several long moments, until Haley finally pulled back, gasping for air.

"We should probably get back out there."

Nathan nodded and ducked his head, pressing more kisses into the soft skin of her neck. "Yeah, probably," he muttered. "But that doesn't mean we have to."

Haley kissed him softly again before she gently pushed him away. "Yes it does. Do you really want to spend all of dinner listening to Brooke make sex jokes about us?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders and pulled away from Haley entirely, only to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side. "She can try to say whatever she wants, but she knows that I caught her and Luke coming out of the coat closet at Uncle Keith's birthday last week."

Haley giggled again, but then she caught sight of herself in the mirror. "Nathan!" she gasped as he suddenly pulled away and almost ran into the kitchen. "Did you give me a hickey?"

* * *

"Hey Daddy?"

Nathan smoothed his hand over Jamie's blonde hair. "Yeah, buddy?"

Jamie snuggled under his blankets and looked up at him with his big blue eyes. "When do you have to leave again?"

Nathan sighed, but relaxed when he felt Haley press a supportive palm between his shoulder blades. It had taken him only six months to get back into playing shape, since he had already been in peak physical condition with his job as a police officer. Then, it had been a waiting game. It had been another six months before he received a call from the NBA. He had been playing with a small team that Clay had set him up with. About a month before he got the call from the Charlotte Bobcats, Nathan had proposed to Haley. They got married right after he got back from his initial training.

Nathan couldn't deny he missed being with his kids. The past season had been especially hard, since it had been towards the end of Haley's pregnancy with Lydia. He felt as if he was missing too much when he was away at his games. But then Haley told him that he should follow his dreams, that she was so proud of him. He saw his sons wearing his jersey, cheering him on at his home games. He especially loved it when they could take the time to come visit him during his away games. They made it all better, somehow.

Even so, Nathan could only imagine another year or two with the NBA. They had more than enough money at this point, and the team had already won two NBA championships. If he left, he would be free to pick up a coaching job and spend all the time in the world with his kids and his wife.

"Not for another couple of months, Jamie," Nathan finally said.

"Do we get to come see your first game?" Jake asked eagerly. A small smile came onto Nathan's face in response. It seemed as if their sons loved basketball just as much as he did.

He looked over his shoulder at Haley. "I'm sure we can work something out with Mommy. Right?"

"Of course." Haley leaned down and kissed first Jamie's forehead, and then Jake's. "Love you boys."

Nathan did the same. "I love you two," he said.

"Love you Momma. Love you Daddy!" Jake and Jamie called in unison.

Haley shut off the light and shut their door. Hand in hand, Nathan and Haley quietly made their way down the hall and to Lydia's bedroom. She was already in her crib, fast asleep with all of the lights off.

Nathan and Haley both leaned over her crib. Nathan reached down and traced the little girl's cheek with his fingers lightly, smiling when she turned into his touch. His baby girl.

"She looks just like you, you know," Nathan whispered.

Haley smiled. "Maybe," she agreed. "But something tells me that she'll be a daddy's girl."

"You think?"

"Of course. How could she not love her daddy? I certainly do." Haley leaned her head on his shoulder as her hand found his.

Nathan laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly. He quickly kissed Lydia on the forehead and let Haley do the same before he led her out of the baby's room and into their own bedroom. Nathan pressed Haley into the mattress and skimmed his lips down her neck as his hands deftly pulled her shirt off.

"I love you too, you know," he muttered against her skin.

Haley tugged on his shirt until he helped her pull it off. She ran her hands down his well-muscled chest. She shivered when his fingers disappeared under her waistband and then arched into his hand with a quiet moan.

"You've told me once or twice," Haley teased through a little gasp.

Nathan kissed his way back up to Haley's mouth. "Well, I'll guess I'll just have to show you how much I love you, then."

Nathan and Haley may have started off resenting each other. But then they spent that week with one another. In that time—in one hundred eight three hours—they had fallen in love. They had fixed each other. And they still had a long life of happiness and love together ahead of them.

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**Author's Note: Like I said, thanks for sticking with this story. I hope that you all enjoyed the final chapter!**


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